Endoscopic manometry in the diagnosis of the postcholecystectomy pain syndrome.

A manometric study of the distal biliary tract was carried out by means of a side-hole perfused catheter passed through the papilla Vateri during duodenoscopy in patients with postcholecystectomy biliary pain not due to stones or inflammation of the biliary tree. The sphincter of Oddi showed in these cases a significantly higher basal tone than in controls with superimposed phasic pressure waves of high amplitude. The basal pressure of the common bile duct was also higher than in controls. These manometric findings may help differentiate the functional papillary stenosis from other causes of the postcholecystectomy pain syndrome and may be useful in settling the question of performing sphincterotomy in these patients.