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The Role of the Common Channel

Alice M. Police, MD; Kenneth Waxman, MD; Michael Smolin, MD; Gail Tominaga, MD; Steven Landau, MD; G. Robert Mason, MD, PhD

Arch Surg. 1984;119(11):1299-1300.

Abstract
• Whether bile reflux through a common channel into the pancreatic duct is a causative factor in the development of gallstone pancreatitis is controversial. To address this issue, we have reviewed a consecutive series of cholecystectomies performed with intraoperative cholangiograms. The cholangiograms and the patients' charts were reviewed independently to determine the incidence of a common channel in patients both with and without pancreatitis and to analyze their clinical courses. The group of patients who had pancreatitis showed a common channel in 19 (90%) of 20 cases, while those patients who did not have pancreatitis showed a common channel in 23 (35%) of 66 cases. The patients who had pancreatitis were less likely to have choledocholithiasis than were those patients who did not have pancreatitis, and these patients were less likely to require exploration of the common bile duct.

(Arch Surg 1984;119:1299-1300)

Author Affiliations
From the Departments of Surgery (Drs Police, Waxman, Tominaga, and Mason and Mr Landau) and Radiology (Dr Smolin), University of California-Irvine Medical Center, Orange.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication July 26, 1984.

Read before the Annual Meeting of the Southern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Santa Barbara, Calif, Jan 29, 1984.

Reprint requests to Department of Surgery, University of California-Irvine Medical Center, 101 City Dr S, Orange, CA 92668 (Dr Waxman).