Early and late complications after endoscopic sphincterotomy for biliary lithiasis with and without the gall bladder 'in situ'.

Endoscopic sphincterotomy has gained wide acceptance in the treatment of biliary lithiasis. We attempted endoscopic sphincterotomy in 443 patients and were successful in 407 (92%). Sphincterotomy was carried out with the gall bladder in situ in 234 cases (57%) of advanced age or high surgical risk. Immediate complications occurred in 7%, of which haemorrhage was the most frequent. The mortality rate was 1.5%. Three hundred and sixteen endoscopic sphincterotomies were performed more than six months before writing and follow up was available for 226 (72%) from six to 78 months. Late complications were observed in 16 patients with gall bladder 'in situ' (12%); the most frequent was cholecystitis in 6%. In five patients of the group without gall bladder, four had cholangitis related to retained or recurrent stones, and one restenosed . No episodes of cholangitis were observed in patients without stones despite reflux of barium up the biliary tree as observed during a barium meal examination.