[Duodenal diverticula and choledocholithiasis in own material]. / Uchylki dwunastnicy a kamica przewodowa w materiale wlasnym.

The detectability of duodenal diverticula (DD), a common duodenal pathology, has been growing with the increasing availability of endoscopic examinations, and especially of endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP). The study is a retrospective analysis of incidence rates of DD and accompanying diseases of bile ducts, liver and pancreas detected by ERCP. We performed 8642 ERCP examinations between 1974 and 2001, which detected DD in 622 (7.2%) patients. Of these, 409 (65.8%) had choledocholithiasis, and 97 (15.6%) liver, gallbladder, bile ducts or pancreatic cancer. In the remaining 106 (17.0%) patients no pathologies requiring surgical intervention were found by radiological examination of bile ducts and pancreatic duct. In 10 (1.6%) patients with DD, caniulation of Vater papilla was not performed due to its anatomical location. Obtained results confirm relationship between DD and choledocholithiasis. It has not been established whether DD predispose to choledocholithiasis by interfering with bile duct emptying and causing bile lithogenicity, or rather that duodenal diverticula are caused by a concrement moved to duodenum by contractions of the gallbladder or sphincter of Oddi.

[Development of diagnostic methods in upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding]. / Rozwój diagnostyki krwawien z górnego odcinka przewodu pokarmowego.

Since the first description of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, presented as ground coffee vomiting and melena by Galen Claudius in 200 A.D., we have been observing dynamic progress in the diagnostics of this disease. This article presents modern methods and diagnostic examinations used to detect and localise the bleeding source.