The significance of unexplained dilated common bile duct at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

The clinical significance of unexplained dilation of the common bile duct (CBD) seen at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in non-jaundiced patients with abdominal pain, was studied in a group of 14 patients. A CBD diameter of more than 15 mm was associated with choledocholithiasis (29%), periampullary carcinoma (14%), papillary stenosis (14%), or no definite pathology (43%) during a follow-up of 20 months. Dilation of the CBD exceeding 20 mm, was associated with periampullary carcinoma or papillary stenosis in 80% of the patients. It is recommended that such a group of patients be followed very closely, and the ERCP examination repeated within a few months.