Response to biliary sphincterotomy in patients with RUQ abdominal pain following cholecystectomy

Abstract

Functional abdominal pain in post-cholecystectomy patients is often related to visceral hypersensitivity (VH) and can have a lasting impact on a patient’s wellbeing. Numerous factors may lead to persistent or recurrent abdominal pain in post-cholecystectomy patients, one such factor may be Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction (SOD) or papillary stenosis. Many patients undergo biliary sphincterotomies to achieve symptomatic resolution. This study observed 49 patients stratified by demographic information (age, gender, race, BMI, and inpatient status). It was determined that patients complaining of biliary pain post-cholecystectomy with failure to respond to medical management papillary stenosis and SOD should be considered. For these patients, symptom improvement was observed in 93%. An association was also seen with symptomatic resolution stratified for demographic data exemplifying that male patients, non- Caucasian patients and patients with in-patient status were more likely to achieve symptomatic improvement and resolution. Although a statistical significance was not observed for symptomatic resolution, it can be said that certain people will be more likely to experience resolution with a sphincterotomy than others.