To the Editor:

“Devices That Are Hard to Sterilize” (Science Times, Aug. 6) understates the value of duodenoscopes and the procedure they are used for, endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography, or ERCP . This is a potentially lifesaving procedure for the hundreds of thousands of patients each year suffering from diseases of the pancreas, bile duct and gallbladder .

When a doctor recommends ERCP, it is often because the patient is gravely ill and the benefits of the procedure far outweigh the risks. ERCPs also spare patients much more invasive and dangerous alternatives, including surgery.

Removing these instruments from the marketplace is simply not feasible. We agree that identifying safe and effective solutions that eliminate risk of infection transmission is a top priority.

This cannot happen overnight: We cannot adopt a new technology, like disposable scopes, without first understanding the new risks we may be introducing to our patients.