Choledochoduodenostomy. Analysis of 71 cases followed for 5 to 15 years.

To investigate the long-term effectiveness of choledochoduodenostomy (CDD), the experience with 71 patients followed for 5 or more years after CDD was analyzed retrospectively. From 1968 to 1984, 134 patients underwent CDD. Eight patients (6%) died in the immediate postoperative period, 55 left the hospital, 8 of them were lost to follow-up, and 47 were followed but died before 5 years elapsed after CDD. The remaining 71 patients form the data base for this analysis: 38 were followed for more than 5 years, 25 were followed for more than 10 years, and 8 were followed for more than 15 years (mean 12.1 years +/- 1.3 SEM). Choledocholithiasis, chronic pancreatitis, and postoperative stricture were the indications for CDD. Cholangitis was observed in only three patients. The diameter of the common bile duct (CBD) was large in most patients (mean 18 mm +/- 0.9 SEM). These results infer that CDD is effective to treat non-neoplastic obstructing lesions of the distal CBD on a long-term basis and that the presence of a dilated CBD (more than 16 mm) that allows the construction of a CDD more than 14 mm is essential to obtain good results.