Abstract

Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) has gained wide acceptance as a valuable tool for the management of disease of the pancreas and biliary tract. Complications associated with an EST include bleeding, perforation, pancreatitis and cholangitis, and the incidence of complications is approximately 5∼10%. A pancreatic abscess can develop rarely after an EST and tends to have a more complicated course, resulting in higher morbidity and mortality. We report a case of a pancreatic abscess that complicated an EST in a 61-year-old woman with a primary common bile duct stone. The patient was successfully cured by treatment with the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Although a pancreatic abscess is one of the rare delayed complications that can develop after an EST, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with a complaint of abdominal pain after an EST because of a high mortality rate and the need for prompt management. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2009;39:55-58)

• Keywords: EST, Delayed complication, Pancreatic abscess