Although both asymptomatic hyperamylasemia and pancreatitis are clinical situations associated with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), asymptomatic hyperamylasemia is a very serious entity while asymptomatic pancreatitis has minimal significance. Risks for patients following ERCP have been described in various publications, but the behavior of these factors varies from one population to another. For this reason it has become important to study these factors in our own environment to identify which patients have higher probabilities of pancreatitis and/or hyperamylasemia following ERCP so that we can make clinically applicable recommendations.