The role of endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy for the treatment of type 1 biliary dysfunction (papillary stenosis) with or without biliary stones.

BACKGROUND

This study assesses the safety and effectiveness of endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy (ES) in the treatment of papillary stenosis (PS) with and without biliary stones.

METHODS

The records of all patients who had endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (2,689 patients) from January 1, 1991, to August 1, 2010, were reviewed. There were 117 patients with PS who had ES.

RESULTS

All patients had biliary pain, a dilated common bile duct (CBD) with a maximum diameter of 10 to 25 mm, and elevated liver function tests. There were 46 patients who had prior cholecystectomy of whom 20 patients had CBD stones. The remaining 71 patients had no prior biliary surgery; there were no biliary stones in 14 patients. All patients were symptom free after ES with or without CBD stone retrieval.

CONCLUSIONS

ES is the optimal treatment for PS in patients with or without biliary stones. ES eliminates pain, corrects CBD dilation, and restores LFTs to normal.