Nifedipine for suspected type II sphincter of Oddi dyskinesia

Endoscopic sphincterotomy may be the treatment of choice in type I sphincter of Oddi dyskinesia, but in type II dyskinesia the results are controversial, the complication rate may be high, and technically endoscopic sphincterotomy is not always possible. Nifedipine has been observed to relax the sphincter of Oddi and to enhance biliary drainage, especially in patients suffering from sphincter of Oddi dyskinesia. Therefore, nifedipine (10 mg, three times a day) was compared with placebo in treating suspected type II sphincter of Oddi dyskinesia in 13 cholecystectomized patients in a 16-wk study period in a double-blind "cross-over" manner. Daily, the patients completed a diary of the pains, need of pain medication, and headache. Clinical examinations and blood tests for liver chemistry were performed at 4-wk intervals. Nifedipine diminished the number of days on which the patients experienced biliary-type pains (10.5 +/- 8.6 vs. 5.8 +/- 4.1, p = 0.042), and the number of days when pain medication was needed was slightly reduced (5.2 +/- 3.9 vs. 3.6 +/- 3.2, p = 0.066). After the study, one patient preferred to undergo endoscopic sphincterotomy, eight patients preferred to continue with nifedipine, and four patients preferred analgesics only. Liver chemistry remained unchanged in this study. Also heart rate, blood pressure, and the number of days of headache were not different between the nifedipine and placebo periods. We conclude that nifedipine is well tolerated in patients with type II sphincter of Oddi dyskinesia, and nifedipine may be tried for reducing the number of painful days and need for analgesics in patients with this disorder.