title: Effect of the diameter of the common bile duct on the incidence of bile duct stones in patients with recurrent attacks of right epigastric pain after cholecystectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the relationship between the diameter of the common bile duct and the incidence of bile duct stones in non-jaundiced patients with recurrent attacks of right epigastric pain after cholecystectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University hospital, Finland.
  
  
  METHODS
  57 consecutive, non-jaundiced patients admitted for elective endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) because of attacks of right epigastric pain after cholecystectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measurement of maximum diameter of the common bile duct and presence or absence of bile duct stones.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diameter of bile duct (10 mm or less was regarded as normal) and presence or absence of stones.
  
  
  RESULTS
  33 patients had normal-sized bile ducts and in 24 they were widened. Only 2/33 patients with normal-sized ducts (6%) had stones, compared with 11/24 (46%) with wide ducts (p = 0.0008). However, the degree of ductal dilatation did not seem to have any influence on the presence or absence of stones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bile duct stones are unlikely after cholecystectomy in patients who are not jaundiced and have a normal-sized common bile duct. However, nearly half of the patients with a wide common bile duct had stones, but the degree of dilatation was not important.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Turku, Finland. juha.gronroos@tyks.fi
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Grönroos
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Haapamäki
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gullichsen
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002763:Cholecystectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D003135:Common Bile Duct / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D042882:Gallstones / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011336:Probability; D012008:Recurrence; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric