Common bile duct diameter long-term monitoring following endoscopic sphincterotomy in individuals with common bile duct stones

Abstract

Background and objective: In patients with choledocholithiasis, to ascertain the duration required for the common bile duct (CBD) diameter to return to normal following endoscopic sphincterotomy and stone extraction.Method: Enrolled were patients with CBD dilatation brought on by choledocholithiasis. Before, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months following endoscopic sphincterotomy and stone extraction, CBD diameter was evaluated using transabdominal ultrasonography. This process was repeated until CBD diameter normalized.Result: Out of the 100 instances who were enrolled over a 12-month period, after one month, 61 (61) patients had their CBD diameter return to normal. After three months, of the 44 patients who were still alive, 36 of them (including 3 whose repeat ERCP indicated choledocholithiasis) had their CBD diameter return to normal. After six months, two of them had dilated CBD without any symptoms and normal liver function tests (LFT); at the 12-month follow-up, the duct had returned to normal.Conclusion: After the removal of CBD stones, a small percentage of patients (18– at the end of three months) may continue to have asymptomatic CBD dilatation. If symptoms and abnormal LFT are present, a dilated CBD within the first month may be related to retained choledocholithiasis.