Sphincterotomy and postsurgical mortality after operations on the common bile duct

In the light of an analysis of 692 operations on the common bile duct performed at the Department of General Surgery, Bielański Hospital in Warsaw, the author evaluated the postoperative mortality after these operations. Association of sphincterotomy with other procedures on the bile ducts does not increase the postoperative mortality, but the causes of death in cases with incision of the sphincter of the hepatopancreatic ampulla are connected mainly with the operation while in the remaining operations these causes are connected with more general factors. Acute postoperative pancreatitis takes the first place as the cause of death after sphincterotomy.