Coexistence of anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union with adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder

Endoscopic therapy in anomalous pancreatobiliary duct junction

BACKGROUND

Anomalous pancreaticobiliary duct junction is associated with bile duct strictures, pancreatitis, choledochal cysts, and biliary carcinoma. Limited data are available for outcomes of endoscopic therapy.

METHODS

Review of 7537 patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography from 1988 to 1997 yielded 18 patients with anomalous pancreaticobiliary duct junction. Therapeutic responses were tallied by chart review and phone calls.

RESULTS

There were 13 women and 5 men, with a mean age of 36 years. Twelve patients had no ductographic evidence of pancreatitis and 6 had chronic pancreatitis. Seven had choledochal cysts. Fifteen patients (83%) underwent endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy, two of whom underwent repeat endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy for recurrence of symptoms. The other therapies included stent placement for benign biliary strictures in 5 patients, lithotripsy of pancreatic stones in 1 patient, and choledochal cyst removal in 4 patients. Three cases with malignant biliary strictures are excluded from endoscopic outcome studies. The 12 patients with pancreatitis had a mean of 2.0 episodes per year before any treatment. After endoscopic therapy 7 patients had no further episodes of pancreatitis, whereas 5 patients had further episodes, with a mean of one additional attack per year, over 3 years mean follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with anomalous pancreaticobiliary duct junction have complex pathology associated with strictures, choledochal cysts, pancreatitis, and malignancies. Endoscopic therapy appeared to benefit 13 of 15 patients without malignant disease with elimination of or decreased frequency of pancreatitis. Endoscopic therapy appears to be a logical first step in the management of most symptomatic patients with anomalous pancreaticobiliary duct junction.

Pancreaticobiliary diseases associated with anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union

BACKGROUND

Anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union (APBDU) is associated with different pancreaticobiliary diseases. The aim of this study is to clarify the frequency with which it occurs and its several subtypes in various pancreaticobiliary diseases.

METHODS

Radiograms of 1752 subjects who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were reviewed independently by two endoscopists. APBDU was diagnosed using recently accepted criteria and divided into B-P and P-B subtypes according to the insertion of biliary and pancreatic ducts.

RESULTS

Fifty-nine (8.7%) of 680 subjects with clearly visualized pancreaticobiliary radiograms had APBDU. APBDU was present in 93.8% of patients (15 of 16) with choledochal cyst, 62.5% (5 of 8) with gallbladder cancer, 33.3% (9 of 27) with common bile duct cancer, 50.0% (6 of 12) with gallbladder adenomyomatosis, 13.2% (7 of 53) with biliary pancreatitis, 3.4% (10 of 293) with cholelithiasis, 2.2% (2 of 89) with non-biliary pancreatitis, 2.1% (1 of 47) with hilar cholangiocarcinoma, 1.9% (1 of 54) with pancreatic cancer, and 10.2% (9 of 88) with other miscellaneous disorders. There were 25 patients (42.4%) with the B-P type and 34 patients (57.6%) with the P-B type of APBDU. Patients with choledochal cyst frequently had the B-P type, whereas gallbladder cancer, adenomyomatosis, or biliary pancreatitis frequently coexisted with the P-B type.

CONCLUSION

APBDU is relatively common in patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography at our center. There are a variety of pancreaticobiliary diseases that are associated with APBDU. Its role in these conditions is uncertain and needs to be further delineated.

Association between anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union and adenomyomatosis of the gall-bladder

A frequent association of biliary tract carcinoma and anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union (APBD) is well recognized, especially gall-bladder carcinoma in undilated type APBD. However, little is known about the presence and incidence of adenomyomatosis (AMT) of the gall-bladder, a presumed premalignant lesion, in patients with APBD. This retrospective study was conducted to elucidate the clinical features and incidence of AMT in APBD patients with relation to undilated type and dilated type APBD. We reviewed the clinicopathological records of 30 patients with APBD (28 women and two men) encountered during the past 10 years. Among them, 22 patients underwent cholecystectomy and the resected specimens were subjected to histopathological examinations. Eleven cases of APBD patients were undilated type and 11 cases were dilated type. Adenomyomatosis was found in six (55%) of 11 undilated type and one (9%) of 11 dilated type, and fundal type was predominantly observed in six (86%) of seven AMT. An overall incidence of AMT in APBD patients was 32%. An undilated type of APBD is frequently associated with AMT and we believe, therefore, that clinicians should be aware of a possible coexistence of APBD and AMT.