Endoscopic Manometry of the Sphincter of Oddi and Pancreatic Duct in Chronic Pancreatitis

Pancreatic duct pressure was studied by endoscopic manometry in 12 patients with chronic pancreatitis and in 9 patients with a normal pancreas (suspected biliary dyskinesia). To study the effect of increased intraduodenal concentration of pancreatic enzymes, the duct pressure was measured before and after intraduodenal enzyme infusion. The mean pancreatic duct pressure was 12 (range, 6-25) mm Hg and 18 (range, 6-38) mm Hg in the pancreatitis and 'control' groups, respectively. The occasional patient in each group who had a high duct pressure also had an elevated sphincter of Oddi pressure. A significant correlation between the two pressures was found in both groups of patients. During intraduodenal infusion of pancreatic enzymes a decrease of the pancreatic duct pressure occurred in only two patients. We conclude that an increased pancreatic duct pressure is not a frequent finding in chronic pancreatitis. An elevation of the duct pressure can also be found in patients without pancreatitis. The sphincter of Oddi pressure appears to be more important for the pancreatic duct pressure than the severity of the pancreatitis. Intraduodenal infusion of enzymes, as done in our study, had an inconsistent effect on the pancreatic duct pressure.