Small bowel dysmotility in patients with postcholecystectomy sphincter of Oddi dysfunction

Postcholecystectomy patients (N = 27) with severe recurrent biliary-like pain who had no evidence of organic disease were subdivided into those with and those without objective evidence of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) based on two separate criteria: (1) clinical criteria-elevated liver function tests and/or amylase with pain, and/or a dilated bile duct, and/or delayed drainage at ERCP (N = 14, SOD classes I and II); and (2) abnormal biliary manometry (N = 19). Prolonged (24-48 hr) ambulant recording of duodenojejunal motor activity was performed in all patients and interdigestive small bowel motor activity compared between patient subgroups and a healthy control group. Phase II motor abnormality was more frequent in patients with, compared to those without, objective clinical criteria of SOD (7/14 vs 0/13, P = 0.003). Phase III abnormality also tended to be more frequent in these patients (7/14 vs 2/13, P = 0.06). In addition, both phase III (P = 0.03) and phase II (P = 0.03) motility index (MI) was higher in patients with sphincter dyskinesia compared to controls; phase II MI was also higher in patients with sphincter stenosis (P = 0.005). Disturbances of small bowel interdigestive motor activity are more prevalent in postcholecystectomy patients with, compared to those without, objective evidence of SOD, and especially in patients with SO dyskinesia. Postcholecystectomy SOD in some patients may thus represent a component of a more generalized intestinal motor disorder.