The Role of Endoscopic Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Pediatric Pancreatitis: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background:

There are various imaging modalities for diagnosing pancreatic diseases. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) can safely diagnose chronic pancreatitis (CP) in pediatric patients and help manage its associated complications. Given that less information is available about the diagnostic role of EUS in children compared with adults, the present study aimed to investigate the diagnostic utility of EUS in pediatric pancreatic diseases.

Materials and Methods:

 A comprehensive search was performed to identify relevant English-language studies published between 1.1.2005 and 1.1.2025. Two independent reviewers screened and selected studies involving pediatric patients (<18 years) who underwent EUS for pancreatic indications (Masoud Tahani , Alireza Aminisefat). The search was conducted across MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE (via Ovid), the Cochrane Library, and the Trip Database. Keywords and MeSH terms used in the strategy included endosonography, pancreatitis, diagnosis, child, and infant. 

Results:

151 studies were identified in the initial search. After analyzing their compliance with the required criteria, a final review of eight studies was conducted. This article presents the current findings on the potential role of EUS in the diagnosis of pediatric pancreatitis.

Conclusion:

 The findings of this study indicated that EUS is an important and useful tool in the diagnosis of acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP), CP, and common bile duct strictures (CBDs). In addition to diagnosing CP, it also plays an important role in classifying pediatric CP. However, further studies are needed to compare its diagnostic effect with that of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.