Sphincter of Oddi motility in patients with bile duct stones. A comparative study using percutaneous transhepatic manometry.

The motility of the sphincter of Oddi was measured by percutaneous transhepatic manometry of the sphincter of Oddi (PTMSO) in three groups of 57 patients with bile duct stones. The three groups were: (1) cholecystectomy group (N = 10)--patients with common bile duct stones (CBDS) who had already undergone cholecystectomy; (2) noncholecystectomy group (N = 37)--patients with CBDS who had not undergone cholecystectomy; and (3) intrahepatic stone (IHS) group (N = 10). The basal pressure, amplitude, frequency, and propagation direction of contraction waves and the response to cerulein injection or dried egg yolk ingestion were analyzed and compared among these groups. No significant differences in the basal pressure, amplitude, frequency, and propagation direction of the contraction waves were found among the three groups. There were also no differences in the response to cerulein or dried egg yolk ingestion. The frequency and duration of the burst contractions occurring in duodenal phase III of the migrating motor complex were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the cholecystectomy group than in the other two groups. These two differences in the burst contractions may be ascribed to the absence of the gallbladder.