Endoscopic treatment for pancreatic diseases: Needle-knife-guided cannulation via the minor papilla.

Aim: To determine the efficacy and safety of meticulous cannulation by needle-knife.

Methods: Three needle-knife procedures were used to facilitate cannulation in cases when standard cannulation techniques failed. A total of 104 cannulations via the minor papilla attempted in 74 patients at our center between January 2008 and June 2014 were retrospectively reviewed.