Direct costs of acute recurrent and chronic pancreatitis in children in the INSPPIRE registry

Objective: To estimate selected direct medical care costs of children with chronic pancreatitis (CP) and acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP). Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of data from International Study Group of Pediatric Pancreatitis: In Search for a Cure (INSPPIRE), a multinational registry of children with ARP or CP. We determined health care utilization and estimated costs of hospitalizations, surgical and endoscopic procedures, and medications in our study population. Health care utilization data were obtained from all subjects enrolled in the study, and costs were calculated using national United States costs. Results: We included 224 subjects (median age 12.7 years), 42% of whomhad CP. Mean number of hospitalizations, including for surgery and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, was 2.3 per person per year, costing an estimated average $38,755 per person per year. Including outpatient medications, estimated total mean cost was$40,589 per person per year. Subjects using surgical procedures or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography incurred mean annual costs of $42,951 per person and$12,035 per person, respectively. Estimated annual costs of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, diabetic medications, and painmedicationswere $4114,$1761, and $614 per person, respectively. In an exploratory analysis, patients with the following characteristics appear to accrue higher costs than those without them: more frequent ARP attacks per year, reported constant or episodic pain, family history of pancreatic cancer, and use of pain medication. Conclusions: ARP and CP are uncommon childhood conditions. The severe burden of disease associated with these conditions and their chronicity results in high health care utilization and costs. Interventions that reduce the need for hospitalization could lower costs for these children and their families

The safety and efficacy of ERCP in the pediatric population with standard scopes: Does size really matter?

Experience with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the pediatric population is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of ERCP in the pediatric population performed by adult gastroenterologists with standard duodenoscopes. This study is a structured retrospective review of endoscopic reports, computerized and paper medical records, and radiographic images of patients under the age of 18 who underwent ERCP for any indication at a tertiary referral centre. Data regarding demographic characteristics and medical history of patients, indications, technical success rate, final clinical diagnosis, and complications were analyzed. Forty-eight children with a mean age of 13 years (range 2-17) underwent a total of 65 ERCPs. The indications of ERCP were as follows; suspected choledocholithiasis (55 %), post-liver transplantation anastomotic biliary strictures (21 %), post-surgical bile duct injury (10 %), choledochal cyst (2 %), recurrent or chronic pancreatitis (10 %), and trauma (2 %). The cannulation success rate in the overall procedure was 93.8 %. Therapeutic interventions were performed in 70.7 % of patients. Post ERCP pancreatitis was the most common complication occurring in 9.2 % of patients, and no procedure related mortality occurred. When performed by well-trained adult gastroenterologists, the use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with standard duodenoscopes is safe in pediatric population