Japanese clinical guidelines for endoscopic treatment of pancreatolithiasis

Objectives: In addition to surgery, procedures for patients with pancreatolithiasis are developing; therefore, establishing practical guidelines for the management of pancreatolithiasis is required. Methods: Three committees (the professional committee for asking clinical questions (CQs) and statements by Japanese endoscopists, the expert panel committee for rating statements by the modified Delphi method, and the evaluating committee by moderators) were organized. Eight endoscopists and a surgeon for pancreatolithiasis made the CQs and statements from a total of 694 reports of published literature by PubMed search (from 1983 to 2012). The expert panelists individually rated these clinical statements using amodified Delphi approach, in which a clinical statement receiving amedian score greater than 7 on a 9-point scale from the panel was regarded as valid. Results: The professional committee made 3, 7, and 10 CQs and statements for the concept and pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment, respectively. The expert panelists regarded them as valid after a 2-round modified Delphi approach. Conclusions: After evaluation by the moderators, the Japanese clinical guidelines for pancreatolithiasis were established. Further discussions and studies for international guidelines are needed.