Separate pancreatic and biliary ductal openings in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatograms of 49 patients with chronic pancreatitis (alcohol related 18; idiopathic 31) were assessed retrospectively. Thirteen (72%) of 18 patients with alcohol-related chronic pancreatitis had separate openings of the common bile duct and the main pancreatic duct into the duodenum. This was significantly more frequent (p less than 0.01) than in previously studied controls (37%). Although this finding was seen more frequently in patients with alcohol related chronic pancreatitis than in those with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (14 of 31, 45%), the difference was not statistically significant. It is concluded that alcohol-related chronic pancreatitis, but not idiopathic chronic pancreatitis, is associated with the presence of separate openings of the common bile duct and main pancreatic duct into the duodenum.