The Tri-Service General Hospital has established a comprehensive and high-quality diagnosis and treatment system for various biliary and pancreatic diseases. In 1981, our hospital introduced ERCP and became the first hospital in Taiwan to introduce EUS in 1984. With advancements in technology and techniques, as well as the combination of therapeutic ERCP and interventional EUS, our hospital has recently pioneered several world or national firsts in endoscopic treatment of biliary and pancreatic diseases. These include innovative techniques such as EUS-guided cystogastrostomy, preoperative marking injection for pancreatic tumor resection, hepaticogastrostomy for the treatment of afferent loop syndrome, and intracystic injection of chemical agents for pancreatic cyst ablation. In 2022, our hospital was awarded the Certificate of the Symbol of National Quality (SNQ).

According to statistics from the Health Insurance Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of people seeking medical treatment for gallstones in Taiwan has been increasing every year since 2016. Surveys estimate that approximately 5-10% of the population in Taiwan has gallstones. In addition, over 2,000 new cases of biliary tract cancer are diagnosed each year, and the prevalence of pancreatic cancer in Taiwan is about 9 per 100,000, which is 4 to 5 times higher than 40 years ago. Therapeutic endoscopic examinations are at the forefront of gastroenterology, and in many cases, endoscopic treatment has replaced surgical treatment. The greatest advancement in this field comes from endoscopic examinations of the biliary and pancreatic systems. With the development of non-invasive cross-sectional imaging techniques, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has become almost exclusively a therapeutic tool, while endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), initially used primarily for diagnostic purposes, has recently been improved with the introduction of EUS-related instruments, including needles and new double-flanged metal stents. EUS has now become an integral part of ERCP and is considered a first-line treatment for biliary and pancreatic diseases today.