Complete clearance of painless pancreatic stones with endotherapy prevents the progression of pancreatic parenchyma atrophy in patients with chronic pancreatitis: Multicenter cohort study

Objectives This retrospective multicenter study aimed to clarify the clinical impact of endotherapy for painless pancreatic duct (PD) stones compared with that in patients who received conservative treatment without endotherapy. Methods We enrolled 268 patients suffering from chronic pancreatitis with painless PD stones (145 with endotherapy and 123 without endotherapy) and evaluated the impact of endotherapy for painless PD stones on clinical and radiological outcomes. Results When conservative treatment without endotherapy was set as a reference, complete clearance of the targeted PD stones decreased the relative risk for atrophy of pancreatic parenchyma after inclusion (hazard ratio [HR] 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21–0.84). Incomplete clearance of the targeted PD stones was identified as a risk factor for new‐onset or worsening of diabetes (HR 2.08; 95% CI 1.10–3.91) and inducement of pain attack (HR 4.03; 95% CI 1.45–11.19), although complete clearance was not correlated with these outcomes. Conclusion In chronic pancreatitis patients with painless PD stones, endotherapy with complete stone clearance allows the maintenance of pancreatic parenchymal volume. However, if complete clearance fails, endotherapy could lead to aggravation of glucose tolerance and pain attacks during follow‐up.