Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction and pancreatitis

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) is a term used to describe a group of heterogenous pain syndromes caused by abnormalities in sphincter contractility. Biliary and pancreatic SOD are each sub-classified as typeⅠ,Ⅱ or Ⅲ,according to the Milwaukee classification. SOD appears to carry an increased risk of acute pancreatitis as well as rates of post ERCP pancreatitis of over 30%. Various mechanisms have been postulated but the exact role of SOD in the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis is unknown. There is also an association between SOD and chronic pancreatitis but it is still unclear if this is a cause or effect relationship. Management of SOD is aimed at sphincter ablation,usually by endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES). Patients with typeⅠSOD will benefit from ES in 55%-95% of cases. Sphincter of Oddi manometry is not necessary before ES in typeⅠ SOD. For patients with types Ⅱ and Ⅲ the benefit of ES is lower. These patients should be more thoroughly evaluated before performing ES. Some researchers have found that manometry and ablation of both the biliary and pancreatic sphincters is required to adequately assess and treat SOD. In pancreatic SOD up to 88% of patients will benefit from sphincterotomy. Therefore,there have been calls from some quarters for the current classification system to be scrapped in favour of an overall system encompassing both biliary and pancreatic types. Future work should be aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying the relationship between SOD and pancreatitis and identifying patient factors that will help predict benefit from endoscopic therapy.

Characterization of functional biliary pain and dyspeptic symptoms in patients with sphincter of Oddi dysfunction:Effect of papillotomy

AIM： To characterize functional biliary pain and other gastrointestinal （GI） symptoms in postcholecystectomy syndrome （PCS） patients with and without sphincter of Oddi dysfunction （SOD） proved by endoscopic sphincter of Oddi manometry （ESOM）, and to assess the postendoscopic sphincterotomy （EST） outcome. METHODS： We prospectively investigated 85 cholecystectomized patients referred for ERCP because of PCS and suspected SOD. On admission, all patients completed our questionnaire. Physical examination, laboratory tests, abdominal ultrasound, quantitative hepatobiliary scintigraphy （QHBS）, and ERCP were performed in all patients. Based on clinical and ERCP findings 15 patients had unexpected bile duct stone disease and 15 patients had SOD biliary type Ⅰ. ESOM demonstrated an elevated basal pressure in 25 patients with SOD biliary-type Ⅲ. In the remaining 30 cholecystectomized patients without SOD, the liver function tests, ERCP, QHBS and ESOM were all normal. As a control group, 30 ‘asymptomatic＇ cholecystectomized volunteers （attended to our hospital for general cardiovascular screening） completed our questionnaire, which is consisted of 50 separate questions on GI symptoms and abdominal pain characteristics. Severity of the abdominal pain （frequency and intensity） was assessed with a visual analogue scale （VAS）. In 40 of 80 patients having definite SOD （i.e. patients with SOD biliary type Ⅰ and those with elevated SO basal pressure on ESOM）, an EST was performed just afl：er ERCP. In these patients repeated questionnaires were filled at each follow-up visit （at 3 and 6 too） and a second look QHBS was performed 3 mo after the EST to assess the functional response to EST. RESULTS： The analysis of characteristics of the abdominal pain demonstrated that patients with common bile duct stone and definite SOD had a significantly higher score of symptomatic agreement with previously determined biliary-like pain features than patient groups of PCS without SOD and controls. In contrary, no significant differences were found when the pain severity scores were compared in different groups of PCS patients. In patients with definite SOD, EST induced a significant acceleration of the transpapillary bile flow; and based on the comparison of VASs obtained from the pre-and post-EST questionnaires, the severity scores of abdominal pain were significantly improved, however, only 15 of 35 （43%） patients became completely pain free. Post-EST severity of abdominal pain by VASs was significantly higher in patients with predominant dyspepsia at initial presentation as compared to those without dyspeptic symptoms. CONCLUSION： Persistent GI symptoms and general patient dissatisfaction is a rather common finding after EST in patients with SOD, and correlated with the presence of predominant dyspeptic symptoms at the initial presentation, but does not depend on the technical and functional success of EST.

Sphincter of Oddi hypomotility and its relationship with duodenal-biliary reflux,plasma motilin and serum gastrin

AIM: To detect whether patients with a T tube after cholecystectomy and choledochotomy have duodenal-biliary reflux by measuring the radioactivity of Tc99m-labeled diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) in the bile and whether the patients with duodenal-biliary reflux have sphincter of Oddi hypomotility, by mea-suring the level of plasma and serum gastrin of the patients. Finally to if there is close relationship among sphincter of Oddi hypomotility, duodenal-biliary reflux and gastrointestinal peptides. METHODS: Forty-five patients with a T tube after cholecystectomy and choledochotomy were divided into reflux group and control group. The level of plasma and serum gastrin of the patients and of 12 healthy volunteers were measured by radioimmunoas-say. Thirty-four were selected randomly to undergo choledochoscope manometry. Sphincter of Oddi basal pressure (SOBP), amplitude (SOCA), frequency of con-tractions (SOF), duration of contractions (SOD), duo-denal pressure (DP) and common bile duct pressure (CBDP) were scored and analyzed. RESULTS: Sixteen (35.6%) patients were detected to have duodenal-biliary reflux. SOBP, SOCA and CBDP in the reflux group were much lower than the controlgroup (t = 5.254, 3.438 and 3.527, P < 0.001). SOD of the reflux group was shorter than the control group (t = 2.049, P < 0.05). The level of serum gastrin and plasma motilin of the reflux group was much lower than the control group (t = -2.230 and -2.235, P < 0.05). There was positive correlation between the level of plasma motilin and SOBP and between the level of serum gastrin and SOBP and CBDP. CONCLUSION: About 35.9% of the patients with a T tube after cholecystectomy and choledochotomy have duodenal-biliary reflux. Most of them have sphincter of Oddi hypomotility and the decreased level of plasma motilin and serum gastrin. The disorder of gastroin-testinal hormone secretion may result in sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. There is a close relationship between sphincter of Oddi hypomotility and duodenal-biliary re-flux.

Nitroester drug's effects and their antagonistic effects against morphine on human sphincter of Oddi motility

AIM: To evaluate the effects of nitroester drugs on human sphincter of Oddi (SO) motility and their antagonistic effects against morphine which shows excitatory effect on Oddi's sphincter motility.METHODS: The effects of these drugs on SO were evaluated by means of choledochofiberoscopy manometry.A total of 67 patients having T-tubes after cholecystectomy and choledochotomy were involved in the study, they were randomly divided into glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) group,isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) group, pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PTN) group, morphine associated with GTN group, morphine associated with ISDN group and morphine associated with PTN group. Basal pressure of Oddi's sphincter (BPOS), amplitude of phasic contractions (SOCA), frequency of phasic contractions (SOF), duration of phasic contractions (SOD), duodenal pressure (DP) and common bile duct pressure (CBDP) were scored and analyzed. Morphine was given intramuscularly while nitroester drugs were applied sublingually.RESULTS: BPOS and SOCA decreased significantly after administration of ISDN and GTN, BPOS reduced from 10.95±7.49 mmHg to 5.92±4.04 mmHg (P＜0.05) evidently after application of PTN. BPOS increased from 7.37±5.58mmHg to 16.60±13.87 mmHg, SOCA increased from 54.09±38.37 mmHg to 100.70±43.51 mmHg, SOF increased from 7.15±3.20 mmHg to 10.38±2.93 mmHg and CBDP increased 3.75±1.95 mmHg to 10.49±8.21 mmHg (P＜0.01)evidently after injection of morphine. After associated application of ISDN and GTN, the four indications above decreased obviously. As for application associated with PTN,SOCA and SOF decreased separately from 100.64±44.99mmHg to 66.17±35.88 mmHg and from 10.70±2.76 mmHg to 9.04±1.71 mmHg (P＜0.05) markedly.CONCLUSION: The regular dose of GTN, ISDN and PTN showed inhibitory effect on SO motility, morphine showed excitatory effect on SO while GTN, ISDN and PTN could antagonize the effect of morphine. Among the three nitroester drugs, the effect of ISDN on SO was most significant.

Sphincter of Oddi laxity:An important factor in hepatolithiasis

AIM:To evaluate the importance of sphincter of Oddi laxity (SOL) in hepatolithiasis (HL).METHODS:Subjects included 98 patients diagnosed with HL between 2002 and 2007. Detailed histories were taken and the subjects were monitored until July 2008. HL patients were divided into two groups:Group included 45 patients with SOL,and Group included 53 patients without. Recurrence and reoperation indices of both groups were calculated and compared.RESULTS:The recurrence index was 0.135 in Group and 0.018 in Group fldex was 0.070 in Group and 0.010 in Group (P <0.001). The mean frequency of biliary operation was 2.07in Group (P = 0.001). Differences between the two groups are significant.CONCLUSION:HL patients with SOL tend to have a higher risk of recurrence and a larger demand for re-operation than those without this condition.

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction and bile duct microlithiasis in acute idiopathic pancreatitis

Although there are numerous causes of acute panc-reatitis, an etiology cannot always be found. Two potential etiologies, microlithiasis and sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, are discussed in this review. Gallbladder microlithiasis, missed on transcutaneous ultrasound, is reported as the cause of idiopathic acute pancreatitis in a wide frequency range of 6%-80%. The best diagnostic technique for gallbladder microlithiasis is endoscopic ultrasound although biliary crystal analysis and empiric cholecystectomy remain as reasonable options. In contrast, in patients who are post-cholecystectomy, bile duct microlithiasis does not appear to have a role in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis. Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction is present in 30%-65% of patients with idiopathic acute recurrent pancreatitis in whom other diagnoses have been excluded. It is unclear if this sphincter dysfunction was the original etiology of the first episode of pancreatitis although it appears to have a causative role in recurring episodes since sphincter ablation decreases the frequency of recurrent attacks. Unfortunately, this conclusion is primarily based on small retrospective case series; larger prospective studies of the outcome of pancreatic sphincterotomy for SOD-associated acute pancreatitis are sorely needed. Another problem with this diagnosis and its treatment is the concern over potential procedure related complications from endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), manometry and pancreatic sphincterotomy. For these reasons, patients should have recurrent acute pancreatitis, not a single episode, and have a careful informed consent before assessment of the sphincter of Oddi is undertaken.

Roles of sphincter of Oddi motility and serum vasoactive intestinal peptide,gastrin and cholecystokinin octapeptide

AIM: To investigate roles of sphincter of Oddi (SO) motility played in pigment gallbladder stone formation in model of guinea pigs.

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction: Managing the patient with chronic biliary pain

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction （SOD） is a syndrome of chronic biliary pain or recurrent pancreatitis due to functional obstruction of pancreaticobiliary flow at the level of the sphincter of Oddi. The Milwaukee classification stratifies patients according to their clinical picture based on elevated liver enzymes, dilated common bile duct and presence of abdominal pain. Type Ⅰ patients have pain as well as abnormal liver enzymes and a dilated common bile duct. Type Ⅱ SOD consists of pain and only one objective finding, and Type Ⅲ consists of biliary pain only. This classification is useful to guide diagnosis and management of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. The current gold standard for diagnosis is manometry to detect elevated sphincter pressure, which correlates with outcome to sphincterotomy. However, manometry is not widely available and is an invasive procedure with a risk of pancreatitis. Non-invasive testing methods, including fatty meal ultrasonography and scintigraphy, have shown limited correlation with manometric findings but may be useful in predicting outcome to sphincterotomy. Endoscopic injection of botulinum toxin appears to predict subsequent outcome to sphincterotomy, and could be useful in selection of patients for therapy, especially in the setting where manometry is unavailable.

Interplay between nitric oxide and VIP in CCK-8-induced phasic contractile activity in the rabbit sphincter of Oddi

AIM: The sphincter of Oddi (SO) plays an important role in delivery of bile into the duodenum. To establish whether vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and nitric oxide (NO) were involved in phasic contractile activity of the rabbit SO stimulated by cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK-8). METHODS: Isolated SO muscle rings were cleaned of fat and mounted horizontally on two small L-shaped hooks one of which was connected to a force transducer for the measurement of isometric tension.The experiments were carried out in a thermostatically controlled (37±0.2℃) organ bath (5 mL) containing Krebs solution.The organ fluid was gassed with 95% O2 and 50 mL/L CO2 to keep the pH at 7.40±0.05. Contractile responses to CCK-8 (1 μmol/L) were evaluated in the presence and absence of NG-nitro-L-arginine (LNNA), an inhibitor of NO synthase (100 μmol/L), and (p-chloro-D-Phe6-Leu17)-VIP (VlPa, 30 μmol/L), a VIP receptor antagonist. RESULTS: CCK-8 stimulated the phasic activity of the SO. NO synthase inhibition increased the frequency and amplitude of contractions with a slight increase in developed tension. Pre-incubation with VlPa also attenuated this CCK-8 effect. The combined application of LNNA and VlPa abolished the phasic activity of the muscle rings with a marked increase in tension in response to CCK-8. CONCLUSION: VIP and NO together contribute to an increase in phasic activity of SO.

Medical treatment for sphincter of oddi dysfunction:Can it replace endoscopic sphincterotomy?

AIM:To report the results of a medical management of sphincter of oddi dysfunction(SOD) after an intermediate follow-up period.METHODS:A total of 59 patients with SOD(2 men and 57 women,mean age 51 years old) were included in this prospective study.After medical treatment for one year,the patients were clinically re-evaluated after an average period of 30 mo.RESULTS:The distribution of the patients according to the Milwaukee's classification was the following:11 patients were type 1,34 were type 2 and 14 were type 3.Fourteen patients underwent an endoscopic sphincterotomy(ES) after one year of medical treatment.The median intermediate follow-up period was 29.8 ± 3 mo(3-72 mo).The initial effectiveness of the medical treatment was complete,partial and poor among 50.8%,13.5% and 35%,respectively,of the patients.At the end of the follow-up period,37 patients(62.7%) showed more than 50% improvement.The rate of improvement in patients who required ES was not significantly different compared with the patients treated conservatively(64.2% vs 62.2%,respectively).CONCLUSION:Our study confirms that conservative medical treatment could be an alternative to endoscopic sphincterotomy because,after an intermediate follow-up period,the two treatments show the same success rates.

Effects of somatostatin analogues on human sphincter of Oddi pressure

BACKGROUND: Somatostatin, a neuropeptide and hor- mone , exists in the biliary tract of several species. The effects of somatostatin and its analogues on the sphincter of Oddi motility have been controversial. The aim of this study was to observe the action of stilamin and sandostatin on the sphincter of Oddi via choledochofiberscope manometry. METHODS: Twenty patients who had had'T' duct after cholecystectomy and choledochotomy were divided into 2 groups randomly: stilamin and sandostatin. They were subjected to manometry via a choledochofiberscope through the'T' duct tract. The following data recorded in- cluded duodenal pressure (DP), sphincter of Oddi basal pressure (SOBP), sphincter of Oddi contractive amplitude (SOCA), frequency of the sphincter of Oddi (SOF), dura- tion of the sphincter of Oddi, and the common bile duct pressure (CBDP). RESULTS: After intravenous administration of stilamin at a dose of 250 μg/h, the mean SOCA increased from 89.18 (26.50) to 128.57(54.21) mmHg (P <0.05). After the ad- ministration of stilamin at a dose of 500 μg/h the mean SO- CA declined to 92.18(42.81) mmHg (P<0.05), and mean SOBP declined from 17.63(13.36) to 8.16(4.01) mmHg (P<0.05). Although SOF had declined from 9.25(2.45) to 7.46(1.52) n/min, it was not significantly influenced. After intravenous administration of sandostatin at a dose of 100 μg, the mean CBDP increased obviously. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous administration of stilamin at a dose of 250 μg/h stimulates the motility of the sphincter of Oddi whereas the injection of stilamin at a dose of 500 μg/h inhibits its motility. Intravenous injection of sandosta- tin of 100 μg has no effect on the sphincter of Oddi.

Effect of morphine and M-cholinoceptor blocking drugs on human sphincter of Oddi during choledochofiberscopy manometry

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of morphine on the human sphincter of Oddi pressure and the antagonism of anticholinergic agents against morphine. METHODS: The action of these drugs on the sphincter of Oddi (SO) was evaluated by means of choledochofiberscopy manometry in 40 operated patients with T-tube. The patients were divided randomly into 4 groups: anisodamine, atropine, buscopan, and control. The following data were recorded: duodenal pressure (DP), basal pressure of the sphincter of Oddi (BPSO), contractive amplitude of the sphincter of Oddi (CASO), contractive frequency of the sphincter of Oddi (CFSO), contractive duration of the sphincter of Oddi (CDSO), and pressure of the common bile duct (PCBD). Both morphine and anticholinergic agents were given intramuscularly. RESULTS: After injection of 10 mg morphine, BPSO, CASO, CFSO, and PCBD increased significantly. After injection of 15 mg anisodamine or 0.75 mg atropine, CASO, BPSO declined obviously, and after injection of 20 mg buscopan, CASO, BPSO, CFSO declined obviously, but in anisodamine, atropine and buscopan groups, they differed insignificantly. CONCLUSIONS: The results illustrate that SO manometry via choledochofiberscopy is a new method for SO dynamic study. Morphine can increase DP, BPSO, CASO, PCBD, but anisodamine atropine and buscopan can antagonize the effect of morphine.

Choledochoscope manometry about different drugs on the Sphincter of Oddi

AIM： To assess the effects of H2-receptor blocking pharmacon, protease inhibitor, and gastro kinetic agents on the human Sphincter of Oddi （SO） motility by choledochoscope manometry. METHODS： One hundred and seventy-five patients with T tube installed after cholecystectomy and choledochotomy were assessed by choledochoscope manometry. They were randomly assigned into groups of H2-receptor blocking pharmacon, protease inhibitor, and gastro kinetic agents. The Sphincter of Oddi basal pressure （SOBP）, amplitude （SOCA）, frequency of contractions （SOF）, duodenal pressure （DP）, and common bile duct pressure （CBDP） were scored and analyzed. RESULTS： SOBP and SOCA were significantly decreased after Cimetidine administration, and no statistical difference was seen in the Famotidine group. In the Gabexate mesilate group, SOBP had decreased significantly. In the Ulinastatin group, SOCA decreased when Ulinastatin was given at the rate of 2500 U/min; when Ulinastatin administration was raised to 5000 U/ rain, SOBP, SOF and SOCA all experienced a fall. SOBP and SOCA for Domperidone and SOCA for Mosapride groups all decreased distinctly after administration. CONCLUSION： The regular dosage of Cimetidine showed an inhibitory effect on the motility of SO, while Famotidine had no obvious effects otherwise. Gabnexata mesilate, Ulinastatin and gastro kinetic agents also showed inhibitory effects on the SO motility.

Management of patients with sphincter of Oddi dysfunction based on a new classification

AIM: To propose a new classif ication system for sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) based on clinical data of patients. METHODS: The clinical data of 305 SOD patients documented over the past decade at our center were analyzed retrospectively, and typical cases were reported. RESULTS: The new classification with two more types (double-duct, biliary-pancreatic reflux) were set up on the basis of the Milwaukee criteria. There were 229 cases of biliary-type SOD, including 192 (83.8%) cases cured endoscopically, and 29 (12.7%) cured by open abdominal surgery, and the remaining 8 (3.5%) cases observed with unstable outcomes. Eight (50%) patients with pancreatic-type SOD were cured by endoscopic treatment, and the remaining 8 patients were cured after open abdominal surgery. There were 19 cases of double-duct-type SOD, which consisted of 7 (36.8%) patients who were cured endoscopically and 12 (63.2%) who were cured surgically. A total of 41 cases were diagnosed as biliary-pancreatic-reflux-type SOD. Twenty (48.8%) of them were treated endoscopically, 16 (39.0%) were treated by open abdominal surgery, and 5 (12.2%) were under observation. CONCLUSION: The newly proposed SOD classification system introduced in this study better explains the clinical symptoms of SOD from the anatomical perspective and can guide clinical treatment of this disease.

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction:Psychosocial distress correlates with manometric dyskinesia but not stenosis

AIM:To compare postcholecystectomy patients with Sphincter of Oddi(SO)dyskinesia and those with normal SO motility to determine the psychosocial distress,gender and objective clinical correlates of dyskinesia,and contrast these findings with comparisons between SO stenosis and normal SO motility.METHODS:Within a cohort of seventy-two consecutive postcholecystectomy patients with suspected SO dysfunction,manometric assessment identified subgroups with SO dyskinesia(n=33),SO stenosis(n=18)and normal SO motility(n=21).Each patient was categorized in terms of Milwaukee Type,sociodemographic status and the severity of stress-coping experiences.RESULTS:Logistic regression revealed that in combination certain psychological,sociodemographic and clinical variables significantly differentiated SO dyskinesia,but not SO stenosis,from normal SO function.Levels of psychosocial stress and of coping with this stress(i.e.anger suppressed more frequently and the use of significantly more psychological coping strategies)were highest among patients with SO dyskinesia,especially women.Higher levels of neuroticism(the tendency to stressproneness)further increased the likelihood of SO dyskinesia.CONCLUSION:A motility disturbance related to psychosocial distress may help to explain the finding of SO dyskinesia in some postcholecystectomy patients.

Evaluating the efficacy of endoscopic sphincterotomy on biliary-type sphincter of Oddi dysfunction: A retrospective clinical trial

BACKGROUND Although endoscopic sphincterotomy(EST)has a positive therapeutic effect on biliary-type sphincter of Oddi dysfunction(SOD),some patients still have little relief after EST,which implies that other functional abdominal pain may also be present with biliary-type SOD and interfere with the diagnosis and treatment of it.AIM To retrospectively assess EST as a treatment for biliary-type SOD and analyze the importance of functional gastrointestinal disorder(FGID)in guiding endoscopic treatment of SOD.METHODS Clinical data of 79 patients with biliary-type SOD(type I and type II)treated with EST at Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from January 2014 to January 2019 were retrospectively collected to evaluate the clinical therapeutic effect of EST.The significance of relationship between FGID and biliary-type SOD was analyzed.RESULTS Seventy-nine patients with biliary-type SOD received EST,including 29 type 1 patients and 50 type 2 patients.The verbal rating scale-5(VRS-5)scores before EST were all 3 or 4 points,and the scores decreased after EST;the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).After EST,the serum indexes of alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin in biliary-type SOD were significantly lower than before(P<0.05).After EST,67(84.8%)and 8(10.1%)of the 79 patients with biliary-type SOD had obviously effective(VRS-5=0 points)and effective treatment(VRS-5=1-2 points),with an overall effectiveness rate of 94.9%(75/79).There was no difference in VRS-5 scores between biliary-type SOD patients with or without FGID before EST(P>0.05).Of 12 biliary-type SOD(with FGID)patients,11 had abdominal pain after EST;of 67 biliary-type SOD(without FGID)patients,0 had abdominal pain after EST.The difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The 11 biliary-type SOD(with FGID)patients with recurrence of symptoms,the recurrence time was about half a year after the EST,and the symptoms were significantly relieved after regular medical treatment.There were 4 cases of postendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis(5.1%),and no cholangitis,bleeding or perforation occurred.Patients were followed up for 1 year to 5 years after EST,with an average follow-up time of 2.34 years,and there were no long-term adverse events such as sphincter of Oddi restenosis or cholangitis caused by intestinal bile reflux during the follow-up.CONCLUSION EST is a safe and effective treatment for SOD.For patients with type I and II SOD combined with FGID,single EST or medical treatment has limited efficacy.It is recommended that EST and medicine be combined to improve the cure rate of such patients.

Measuring episodic abdominal pain and disability in suspected sphincter of Oddi dysfunction

AIM:To evaluate the reliability of an instrument that measures disability arising from episodic abdominal pain in patients with suspected sphincter of Oddi dysfunction(SOD).METHODS:Although several treatments have been utilized to reduce pain and associated disability,measurement tools have not been developed to reliably track outcomes.Two pilot studies were conducted to assess test-retest reliability of a newly developed instrument,the recurrent abdominal pain intensity and disability(RAPID) instrument.The RAPID score is a 90-d summation of days where productivity for various daily activities is reduced as a result of abdominal pain episodes,and is modeled after the migraine disability assessment instrument used to measure headache-related disability.RAPID was administered by telephone on 2 consecutive occasions in 2 consenting populations with suspected SOD:a pre-sphincterotomy population(Pilot Ⅰ,n = 55) and a post-sphincterotomy population(Pilot Ⅱ,n = 70).RESULTS:The average RAPID scores for Pilots Ⅰ and Ⅱ were:82 d(median:81.5 d,SD:64 d) and 48 d(median:0 d,SD:91 d),respectively.The concordance between the 2 assessments for both populations was very good:0.81 for the pre-sphincterotomy population and 0.95 for the post-sphincterotomy population.CONCLUSION:The described pilot studies suggest that RAPID is a reliable instrument for measuring disability resulting from abdominal pain in suspected SOD patients.

Ethanol inhibits the motility of rabbit sphincter of Oddi in vitro

AIM:The rote of the sphincter of Oddi(SO)in ethanol (ETOH)-induced pancreatitis is controversial.Our aim was to characterise the effect of E-I-OH on basal and stimulated SO motility. METHODS:SOs removed from white rabbits were placed in an organ bath(Krebs solution,pH7.4,37℃).The effects of 2 mL/L,4 mL/L,6 mL/L and 8 mL/L of ETOH on the contractile responses of the sphincter were determined. SOs were stimulated with either 0.1 μmol/L carbachol,1 μmol/L erythromycin or 0.1 μmol/L cholecystokinin(CCK). RESULTS:ETOH at a dose of 4 mL/L significantly decreased the baseline contractile amplitude from 11.98±0.05 mN to 11.19±0.07 mN.However,no significant changes in the contractile frequency were observed.ETOH(0.6%) significantly decreased both the baseline amplitude and the frequency compared to the control group(10.50±0.01 mN, 12.13±0.10 mN and 3.53±0.13 c/min,5.5±0.13 cycles(c)/min, respectively).Moreover,0.8% of ETOH resulted in complete relaxation of the SO.Carbachol(0.1 μmol/L)or erythromycin (1 μmol/L)stimulated the baseline amplitudes(by 82% and 75%,respectively)and the contractile frequencies (by 150% and 106%,respectively).In the carbachol or erythromydn-stimulated groups 2-6 mL/L of E-IOH significantly inhibited both the amplitude and the frequency.Interestingly, a 4-5 min administration of 6 mL/L ETOH suddenly and completely relaxed the SO.CCK(0.1 μmol/L)stimulated the baseline amplitude from 12.37±0.05 mN to 27.40±1.82 mN within 1.60±0.24 min.After this peak,the amplitude decreased to 17.17±0.22 mN and remained constant during the experiment.The frequency peaked at 12.8±0.2 c/min, after which the constant frequency was 9.43±0.24 c/min throughout the rest of the experiment.ETOH at a dose of 4 mL/L significantly decreased the amplitude from 16.13±0.23 mN to 14.93±0.19 mN.However,no significant changes in the contractile frequency were observed.ETOH at a dose of 6 mL/L inhibited both the amplitudes and the frequencies in the CCK-stimulated group,while 8 mL/L of ETOH completely relaxed the SO. CONCLUSION:ETOH strongly inhibits the basal,carbachol, erythromycin,and CCK-stimulated rabbit SO motility. Therefore,it is possible that during alcohol-intake the relaxed SO opens the way for pancreatic fluid to flow out into the duodenum in rabbits.This relaxation of the SO may protect the pancreas against alcohol-induced damage.

Effects of cholesterol liposomes on cytoskeleton and proliferation of rabbit sphincter of Oddi cells in culture

Objective: To discuss the relationship between hypercholesterolemic disease and the functional and structural changes of Sphincter of Oddi (SO) by the study of effect of Cholesterol Liposome (CL) on structural and quantitative changes of SO cells. Methods: Rabbit SO was isolated for primary cell culture and subculture. After subcultured with different concentration of CL culture medium for 20 h, the structural and quantitative changes of SO cells were analyzed and detected by MTT-test, flow cytometer (FCM), electronic microscope and electrophoresis technique respectively. Results: CL contributed a prominent stimulus to SO cells proliferation at middle concentration (<0. 5 - 0. 8 mg/ml), which could be confirmed by FCM analysis which indicated the number of SO cells in S-phase increasing remarkably; however, high concentration of CL inhibited SO cells' proliferation (>1. 0 mg/ml) and induced apoptosis of SO cells. Swelled mitochondria and dilated endoplasmic reticulum as well as disjoined and diminished microfilaments were found in SO cells by electronic microscopy. The content of SO cells actin decreased with the increment of cholesterol concentration. There was a significant difference of actin content between CL groups and control group (P<0. 05). Conclusion: CL may change SO cell membrane's function, organelle's structure and especially the quantity and configuration of microfilaments, at the same time, CL at different concentration can induce changes of SO cells cycle and lead to different changes in the number of SO cells.

Update on Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction: A Review

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction(SOD)encompasses a spectrum of clinical syndromes that are not fully understood,and various diagnostic and therapeutic methods have had varying results depending on the type of dysfunction.This review explored various mechanisms that might play a role in SOD and methods of diagnosis and management.It is important to rule out other causes of abdominal pain with laboratory testing,imaging studies,and endoscopic procedures.Medications that affect sphincter motility should be identified as well.Manometry is the gold standard for diagnosis but it is not always required.For example,patients with type I SOD may have symptomatic improvement with sphincterotomy without need for a diagnostic manometry.Hepatobiliary scintigraphy and fatty meal sonography may also have diagnostic utility.Sphincterotomy is not always effective for symptomatic improvement in type II and III SOD.Alternate therapies with calcium channel blockers and botulinum toxin have been studied and might be considered as options after discussing the risks and benefits with the patients.