[Sonographic detection and clinical studies in the spontaneous passage of bile duct calculi]

Spontaneous transpapillary stone passage was found in 16 of 84 cases with sonographically detected common bile duct stones. Stone passage was confirmed by ultrasound and retrograde endoscopic cholangiography (ERC) as well as by intraoperative cholangiography and also by clinical observation. Sonographic diagnosis was demonstrated by incontestably safe documentation. 15 of 16 patients with transpapillary stone passage had right upper abdominal pain, three patients an attack of acute pancreatitis, whereas in 5 cases hyperamylasaemia was found. Decreasing levels of bilirubin , alkaline phosphatase and gamma-GT are of minor value in diagnosing a stone passage. Despite a new and more successful sonographic technique in detecting common bile duct stones, ERC remains the standard diagnostic procedure.