Objectives: Chronic pancreatitis can be caused by ductal obstruction resulting from cicatricial papillary stenosis, but sphincter of Oddi motility studies have been inconclusive in patients with established chronic pancreatitis. We sought to determine whether there is an association between papillary sphincter dysfunction and changes of early chronic pancreatitis.
Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent sphincter of Oddi manometry to investigate unexplained upper abdominal pain (n = 104) were assessed for evidence of chronic pancreatitis by pancreatic ductography, endoscopic ultrasound, and pancreatic fluid bicarbonate concentration.
Results: Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction patients were four times more likely (odds ratio = 4.6) to have evidence of chronic pancreatitis than were those without sphincter dysfunction (p = 0.01). Of 68 patients with sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, 20 (29%) had structural evidence of chronic pancreatitis. Twenty of 23 (87%) patients with chronic pancreatitis had sphincter of Oddi dysfunction.
Conclusions: Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction is associated with changes of chronic pancreatitis in patients with unexplained pancreaticobiliary pain. Longitudinal follow-up is required to confirm these preliminary findings.