Do patients with sphincter of Oddi dysfunction benefit from endoscopic sphincterotomy?
OBJECTIVES: To assess the incidence of elevated sphincter of Oddi baseline pressure and the response to endoscopic sphincterotomy in patients with suspected sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. DESIGN: A 5-year prospective clinical trial. METHODS: One-hundred and eight patients with recurrent biliary-type pain after cholecystectomy were enrolled. After thorough investigation, 35 patients with suspected type II sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) and another 29 type III patients remained for further investigation. Both groups were similar with respect to demographic data and severity of pain. Biliary manometry was performed in all except three patients in either group. Endoscopic sphincterotomy was performed in all patients with abnormal sphincter of Oddi baseline pressure (> 40 mmHg). All patients were clinically re-evaluated after 4-6 weeks, and thereafter the sphincterotomized patients were followed for a median period of 2.5 years. RESULTS: An abnormal sphincter of Oddi baseline pressure
