[Endoscopic surgery in neoplasms of Vater's ampulla]

Twenty patients with tumors located in the ampulla of Vater underwent an endoscopic papillo-sphincterectomy. Four of them were palliative procedures and 16 were curative. The patients complaints were: obstructive jaundice, pain on the right hypochondrium, digestive hemorrhage or neoplastic syndrome. The mean age was 72.6 years ranging from 54 to 87. Ten were males and 10 females. The overall mean survival was 36.2 months (S.E.+ - 5.6) ranging between 9 and 50 months. The actuarial survival 18 months after the procedure was 63.5% (S.E.+ - 13%). The survival correlated with the macroscopic shapes according to Tasaka. A comparative analysis was made between the results obtained with palliative endoscopic surgery and radical open surgery.