Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis: Risk stratification and appropriate patient selection

Postendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP) is the most common endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography–related complication with its prevalence estimated at approximately 10%. Many patient- and procedural-related risk factors for PEP have been identified. These risk factors have been weighted in many studies, allowing identification of the most important risk factors for PEP. Unfortunately, there are no comprehensive and validated scoring systems developed to predict the risk for PEP in an individual patient based on the prevalence of multiple risk factors. Currently, we rely on a few variables to identify high-risk patients. This review discusses the individual risks for PEP and the current methods to identify high-risk patients.