A Periampullary Duodenal Diverticula in Patient with Choledocholithiasis - Single Endoscopic Center Experience

The reported prevalence of periampullary duodenal diverticula varies between 9 and 32.8%. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of periampullary diverticula in the studied population and establish whether their presence influence the risk of choledocholithiasis and the risk of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography (ERCP) related complications.

The study group of 3788 patients who underwent ERCP between 1996 and 2016 at the 2nd Department of General Surgery Jagiellonian University Medical College in Kraków were analyzed. The group comprised of 2464 women (mean age 61.7 years) and 1324 men (mean age 61.8 years). The patients were divided into two groups. Group A included patients in whom there were no periampullary diverticula detected. Group B included patients in whom the opening of the bile duct was in the vicinity of a duodenal diverticulum.

There were 3332 patients included in group A (2154 women and 1178 men) and 456 patients in group B (310 women and 146 men). The prevalence of periampullary duodenal diverticula in the analyzed group was 12.8%. The presence of stones or biliary sludge was diagnosed in 1542 patients (47.6%) in group A and 290 patients (68.1%) in group B. Recurrence of choledocholithiasis occurred in 4.5% of patients (70/1542) in group A and 10.3% of patients (30/290) in group B. Complications occurred in a total of 76 patients in group A (2.3%) and 22 patients in group B (4.8%).

The presence of choledocholithiasis and the risk of ERCP related complications are significantly higher in the group with duodenal diverticula.