Clinical evaluation of choledocho-duodenal bile flow with cholescintigraphy in patients before and after endoscopic sphincterotomy

Abstract

Between August 1983 and December 1987, endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) was performed in 129 patients with choledocholithiasis. In those 22 patients cholescintigraphy using Tc-99m-E-HIDA was performed to evaluate bile flow before and after EST. In 8 patients cholecystectomy had been performed before EST, and in 14 patients the gallbladder was not removed. Cholescintigraphy was performed before and after EST, and in 15 patients cholescintigraphic follow-up study was carried out in the period of 4 months to 46 months with an average of 24.2 months. Cholescintigram revealed significant improvement of bile flow after EST. Long term follow-up showed that in patients without gallbladder bile flow remained normal but in patients with gallbladder bile flow impaired. Cholescintigraphy is useful in the assessment of bile flow after EST.