[Distal stenosis of the choledochus in chronic pancreatitis: endoscopic drainage or operation?]

With the less invasive techniques for complications regarding chronic pancreatitis, such as tubular choledochostenosis, the endoscopic transpapillary bile drainage therapy by means of endoprosthesis has undergone an enlargement of its indications range. Blocked and dislocated prostheses, however, further raise the already existing possibility of septic complications. With 15 out of 43 patients undergoing medium-term endodrainage treatment, we observed different resulting conditions of chronic cholestasis, such as abscess-forming cholangitis, hepatic abscesses, retroperitoneal phlegmon and sepsis up to biliary cirrhosis. Thus, in the case of chronic pancreatitis we still regard choledochostenosis- which, due to scarring, is mostly fixed-as a primary indication for operation.