[A study of concomitant chronic pancreatitis in forty-one cases of adult congenital biliary dilatation].

Forty-one cases of adult congenital biliary dilatation (CBD) were studied for concomitant chronic pancreatitis. Of the 41 cases, 8 had had such previous operations as choledochojejunostomy or choledocho-duodenostomy without biliary diversion (reoperated cases) and the other 33 had not received previous operations (primary cases). All of the 36 cases whose type of pancreatico-biliary junction could be examined revealed anomalous pancreatico-biliary junction. Four cases (10%) of CBD (1 of the primary and 3 of the reoperated cases) were complicated by chronic pancreatitis. On examining the elapsed time between the first and the final operation of the reoperated cases, in the 5 cases whose periods were less than 13 years, none was complicated by chronic pancreatitis. On the contrary, in the 3 cases whose periods of time were more than 17 years, all were complicated by chronic pancreatitis. The results suggest that choledochoenterostomy without biliary diversion enhances pancreatic damage in cases with anomalous pancreatico-biliary junction.