AIM: During endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), selective cannulation of the common bile duct (CBD) is required in most of the cases.METHODS: From June 2001 till December 2002, all patients referred to our unit for ERCP were considered for entry into the study. Selective CBD cannulation was first attempted with a standard catheter with or without the use of a guidewire. In cases, where CBD cannulation was considered unsuccessful, patients were crossed over to a double-lumen sphincterotome and a guidewire. All patients were hospitalized for 24 h after the procedure in order to assess the incidence of post-ERCP complications.RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 158 patients.Selective CBD cannulation using a standard ERCP catheter with or without the assistance of a guidewire, was accomplished in 129 patients (success rate: 81.65%).From the 29 patients who were crossed over to a sphincterotome and a guidewire, selective CBD cannulation was achieved in 24; the overall success rate rising to 96.8%. Meanwhile, the use of this technique did not increase the incidence of post-ERCP complications.CONCLUSION: The use of a sphincterotome and a guidewire increases the success rate of selective bile duct cannulation in cases that this has not been accomplished with a standard catheter.