Ectopic Opening of the Common Bile Duct into the Duodenal Bulb: Diagnosis and Therapeutic Management and Considerations for Timing of Surgery and Duration of Follow-up After Initial Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography.

Introduction: Ectopic opening of the common bile duct (EO-CBD) is a rare pathology, and its management is important. To date, only a few studies have been conducted for EO-CBD due to its low incidence.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on 54 patients with available prospective data. Among them, 30 patients (group 1) underwent choledochoduodenostomy for reasons other than anomalous opening, and 24 patients (group 2) had an EO-CBD.

Results: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed for 24 patients with duodenal deformity and apical stenosis. EO-CBD was detected in 2.72% of all patients who underwent ERCP (24/880 ERCPs). The occurrence of hyperbilirubinemia (total bilirubin >1.2 mg/dL) was not significantly different between groups: 3.83±4.57 mg/dL for group 1 and 2.26±2.17 mg/dL for group 2.

Conclusions: Failed ERCP, giant stones, and recurrent episodes (>2) of cholangitis requiring ERCP constitute indications for surgical treatment in cases of EO-CBD into the duodenum.