Objective: To evaluate the value and safety of therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in elderly patients. Methods: The clinical data of 377 elderly patients with therapeutic ERCP from January 2010 to September 2017 in Changzhou First People′s Hospital of Jiangsu Province were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 34 patients (observation group) aged ≥ 90 years and 343 patients (control group) aged 75 to 89 years old. The results of ERCP examination, treatment of bile duct stones and related complications were compared between 2 groups. Results: There was no statistical difference in the success rate of ERCP between 2 groups (P>0.05). There were no statistical difference in detection rates of bile duct stones, cholangiocarcinoma and benign biliary stricture between 2 groups (P<0.05); however, the detection rates of duodenal papillary carcinoma and nipple diverticulum in observation group were significantly higher than those in control group: 11.8% (4/34) vs. 2.0% (7/343) and 38.2% (13/34) vs. 18.7% (64/343), and there were statistical differences (χ² = 10.326 and 7.294, P<0.01). There were 21 patients with bile duct stones in observation group, including 14 patients with multiple stones; there were 241 patients with bile duct stones in control group, including 188 patients with multiple stones. The maximum stone diameter, rate of in-line stent drainage and rate of extracorporeal lithotripsy in multiple stones patients of observation group were significantly higher than those in multiple stones patients of control group: (1.5 ± 0.3) cm vs. (1.2 ± 0.4) cm、9.5% (2/21) vs. 1.7% (4/241), 4.8% (1/21) vs. 0.4% (1/241), and there were statistical differences (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in incidence of ERCP complications between observation group and control group: 14.7% (5/34) vs. 6.7% (23/343), P>0.05; but the incidence of cardiac accidents in observation group was significantly higher than that in control group: 5.9% (2/34) vs. 1.2% (4/343), and there was statistical difference (χ² = 4.393, P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in the length of hospital stay between observation group and control group: (11.5 ± 5.0) d vs. (13.2 ± 5.8), P>0.05. Conclusions Therapeutic ERCP is an important treatment for elderly patients with biliary and pancreatic diseases. For patients over 90 years old, ERCP is safe and reliable, but it is necessary to actively pay attention to comorbidities, especially cardiac function.

Objective To assess scoliosis in adolescence and adults by three-dimensional ( 3-D ) ultrasound imaging . Methods A commercial available ultrasound instrument with a magnetic sensor system was used for long distance 3-D ultrasound imaging .Specific phantoms were imaged to evaluate the precision of this imaging system . Twenty healthy adults and 20 patients with scoliosis were imaged by 3-D ultrasonography and radiography . The deformity angle of the patients with scoliosis was measured on the reconstructed coronal plane ( C plane) of 3-D ultrasound imaging . The relevance between the curvature measured by ultrasound and the Cobb angles originated by radiography were evaluated . Results There was no significant difference between the angles of the phantom measured by the 3-D ultrasound imaging system and that measured by an angle gauge ( P = 0 .479) . The transverse process ,vertebral arch and acoustic shadow of the central spinous process of spines in healthy adults can be displayed on the reconstructed C plane by 3-D ultrasound imaging . The morphology of scoliosis in all the twenty patients can be observed on the reconstructed C planes ( multi-layers) by 3-D ultrasound imaging ,which accorded well with that observed on radiograph . In 9 patients ,part of the spinal segment could not be totally displayed on one single coronal plane and no additional measurement was carried out . In 11 patients ,all the segments of the spine could be clearly displayed on a single coronal plane and the curvature of scoliosis was then measured . There were no significant differences between the angle measured on 3-D ultrasound imaging and the Cobb angle measured on radiograph( P =0 .974) and the two measurement methods have high correlation( r =0 .991 , P <0 .0001) . Conclusions The commercial available 3-D ultrasound imaging system applied in this study offers a viable method to assess scoliosis in adolescence and adults in a reliable and radiation-free manner .