BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between periampullary duodenal diverticulum and pancreatic-biliary disease and its treatment. METHODS: Since January 1999 to July 2003, thirtheen patients with juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum and pancreatic-biliary symptons were treated in the Departament of Surgery of the 'Santa Casa de São Paulo' School of Medicine. They were retrospectively evaluated for age, sex and clinical signs. They were treated by endoscopy or surgery and its results were evaluated. RESULTS: Four patients were males (30.8%) and nine (69.2%) were females and the majority of them were older than 70 years of age. They presented with jaundice (61.5%) and abdominal pain (53.8%). Two patients presented with acute pancreatitis, one with upper gastrointestinal bleeding, eleven patients had choledocholithiasis and two patients had the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma. Ten patients were submitted to an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with 30% of success in their treatment. The other patients were operated: three choledocoduodenostomies, four choledocolithotomies with 'T Tube Drainage'. Three patients were submitted to a diverticulectomy (23.1%) and one to a papilloesfincteroplasty. The overall mortality was (7.7%). CONCLUSION: We concluded that endoscopic treatment of choledocholithiasis had low index of success in the presence of periampullary diverticulum and that surgical diverticulectomy may increase the morbididity and mortality in those patients.
Diverticulum; Choledocholithiasis; Cholangiography; Biliopancreatic diversion; Endoscopy
