Background: Sphincter of Oddi manometry (SOM) is recognized as the standard diagnostic modality for sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD). However, SOM is not commonly performed because of its technical difficulty and the high incidence of post-procedural pancreatitis. To diminish post-procedural pancreatitis, we tried to develop a new method of SOM. This study examined the feasibility of SOM with a guide-wire-type manometer, which is commonly used to measure the arterial pressure for coronary angiography, for the assessment of SO motility.
Methods: A total of 35 procedures were performed in 8 patients with biliary type III SOD and 14 patients with other disease. We performed SOM using the guide-wire-type manometer on SOD cases and other cases [amplitude, duration, frequency and the area under the curve (AUC) of SO contractions].
Results: The mean time required for the measurement was 7.5 ± 4.1 min. The amplitude, frequency and AUC of SO contractions were significantly larger in the SOD cases than in other diseases (147.2 vs. 92.8 mmHg, p = 0.042; 10 vs. 5/min, p = 0.007; 2,837 vs. 1,122 mmHg s, p = 0.003, respectively). In 6 patients who underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST), the SO amplitude decreased dramatically after EST. In this study, mild pancreatitis was observed in only one patient.
Conclusions: SOM using a guide-wire-type manometer is safe, reliable and easy to apply for the clinical assessment of SO motility. The guide-wire-type manometer may become a new method to measure SO function for the diagnosis of SOD.