To the Editor.–Yadegar et al were right to stress in their report (Archives 1980;115:582-586. that sphincteroplasty usually fails to relieve the obstruction due to strictured duct secondary to chronic pancreatitis, because of the length of the stricture. The "sump syndrome,"1 if it exists, has practically no place in these cases, since debris cannot accumulate within the already stenosed infraduodenal part of the bile duct.
We wish to report six additional cases of obstructive jaundice, two of which were complicated by cholangitis, due to strictured common bile duct as a result of chronic pancreatitis secondary to stones in the gallbladder.
In one of them, Oddi's sphincteroplasty was initially attempted and although sufficient in length, failed to relieve the obstruction. Operative cholangiography through the T tube showed no patency of the contrast medium in the duodenum (Fig 1). As a result, the obstructed common bile duct was drained by choledochoduodenostomy