Diagnosis and treatment of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction

BACKGROUND Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction is a challenge from both the diagnostic and therapeutic point of view. There is much ongoing debate about the accuracy and usefulness of various diagnostic tests, as there is about the effectiveness of proposed therapeutic alternatives. METHODS: A comprehensive review of the past 15 years' literature was undertaken, using the Medline database and cross-referencing of major articles on the subject. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Endoscopic and surgical treatments result in similar outcomes, with considerable failure rates. The latter reflect the difficulties in accurate diagnosis and a lack of sound objective criteria for selecting patients for intervention. In addition, in some patients sphincter of Oddi dysfunction may be only part of a generalized motility disorder of the gastrointestinal tract.