Precut sphincterotomy, usually performed after prolonged and failed cannulation, is considered a risk factor for post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). There are limited studies on primary needle-knife precut for the prevention of PEP. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of primary precut.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a tertiary care setting on patients who underwent ERCP. Patients were randomized to very early precut (group A, precut after 2 failed attempts of wire-guided sphincterotome cannulation) and primary precut (group B, direct needle-knife precut). All procedures were done by an experienced endoscopist. The primary outcome of the study was to compare the incidence of PEP between the 2 groups.

Three hundred three patients were randomized to group A (n = 152, age 48.2 ± 15.4 years, 61 men) and group B (n = 151, age 46.7 ± 13.8 years, 65 men). There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics and indications for ERCP between the 2 groups. Development of PEP (5.2% vs .67%; P = .04) and asymptomatic hyperamylasemia (12.5% vs 2.6%; P = .01) were lower in group B compared with group A. The bile duct cannulation time (13.8 ± 2.2 vs 7.2 ± 1.7 minutes; P = .001) was lower in group B, whereas the overall cannulation success rate (98% vs 98.6%; P = 1.0) was similar in both the groups.

Primary precut by an experienced endoscopist results in low risk of PEP. (Clinical trial registration number: CTRI/2017/08/009510.)