Clinical and scintigraphic assessment of the role of endoscopic sphincterotomy in the treatment of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction.

Postcholecystectomy pain caused by sphincter of Oddi dysfunction remains a difficult condition to treat. Endoscopic sphincterotomy has been recommended for those patients with confirmed sphincter of Oddi motor abnormalities. We have studied sphincter of Oddi dysfunction patients to evaluate the effects of endoscopic sphincterotomy on both clinical symptoms and previously reported scintigraphic parameters to determine the efficacy of this method of treatment. Nine postcholecystectomy patients (seven women: two men, median age 59 years) with clinical and manometric evidence of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy for persisting biliary type pain. Each patient had scintigraphy before and eight weeks after endoscopic sphincterotomy. The patients symptomatic response was assessed independently at three monthly intervals after endoscopic sphincterotomy. Scintigraphic analysis showed that the TMAX (time in minutes to maximum counts) was significantly reduced from 25.0 (20-36) (median [range]) before endoscopic sphincterotomy to 15.0 (13-25) after endoscopic sphincterotomy (p less than 0.01). Seven of nine (78%) sphincter of Oddi dysfunction patients had significant improvement in their symptoms after a mean follow up period of 12 months (range 6-19) although only six of nine were totally pain free. These results suggest that endoscopic sphincterotomy in manometrically confirmed sphincter of Oddi dysfunction improves bile drainage as measured by quantitative cholescintigraphy and is associated with at least short term symptom relief in the majority of patients.