The clinical significance of unexplained dilation of the common bile duct (CBD) seen at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in non-jaundiced patients with abdominal pain, was studied in a group of 14 patients. A CBD diameter of more than 15 mm was associated with choledocholithiasis (29 %), periampullary carcinoma (14 %), papillary stenosis (14 %), or no definite pathology (43 %) during a follow-up of 20 months. Dilation of the CBD exceeding 20 mm, was associated with periampullary carcinoma or papillary stenosis in 80 % of the patients. It is recommended that such a group of patients be followed very closely, and the ERCP examination repeated within a few months.
Common bile duct - Dilation - Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
