In patients with necrotizing pancreatitis, there has been a recent shift away from surgical debridement (surgical necrosectomy) towards minimally invasive endoscopic treatment. Endoscopic management involves the creation of a fistula (tract) between the gastric or duodenal wall and the necrotic collection, under the guidance of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with subsequent placement of a stent. In addition, performing endoscopic necrosectomy, which involves extraction of necrotic material under direct endoscopic visualization has increased rates of treatment success to greater than 80%.~However to date, there are currently scant data on the optimal timing of endoscopic necrosectomy. The aim of this randomized trial is therefore to compare the clinical outcomes between patients undergoing immediate endoscopic necrosectomy compared to step-up endoscopic interventions in patients undergoing endoscopic therapy for necrotizing pancreatitis.
This is a randomized trial comparing immediate endoscopic necrosectomy vs. step-up endoscopic interventions in patients with necrotizing pancreatitis.