[Basic pressure in the pancreatic duct and in the bile duct: results from 50 standardized duodenoscopic transpapillary pressure measurements (author's transl)].

In 90 patients pressure measurements in the pancreatic duct (50 cases) and in the common bile duct (20 cases) were performed endoscopically. In the normal pancreas an averaged basis pressure in Wirsung's duct of 22.2 cm H2O was found with a range of 9.6 to 37.0 cm H2O. In two cases of marked chronic pancreatitis and in one case of pancreatic carcinoma the secretion pressure was considerably diminished. The mean basic pressure of the common bile duct amounted to 12.0 cm H2O with a range of 7.3 to 17.0 cm H2O. The pressure values in the duodenum were found to be considerably lower than in the pancreatic duct and the bile duct; they amounted to 5.3 cm H20 with a range of 0.6 to 10.9 cm H20. In both ducts two different patterns of ondulations were found: tracings of slight ondulations, i.e. slow pressure changes with a constant average pressure and tracings of coarse ondulations with quick increase and drop in pressure. It will be discussed, how these findings can be related to physiology and pathophysiology of the pancreatic and biliary duct system. The clinical relevance for detection of excretory insufficiency of the pancreas and of pathologic changes leading to stenosis of the duct system are considered.