Common bile duct obstruction secondary to a periampullary diverticulum

Lemmel syndrome, a rare cause of obstructive jaundice by periampullary duodenal diverticulum: Case report and review of the literature

Lemmel syndrome is a pancreaticoduodenal disease caused by compression of the mid or distal common bile duct by a periampullary diverticulum. This condition should be considered a rare complication of a duodenal diverticulum and an unusual cause of obstructive jaundice. Because of its infrequent occurrence and non-specific clinical presentation, Lemmel syndrome can mimic other conditions. We herein report the clinical and imaging findings (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) of a patient who presented with intermittent abdominal pain and jaundice. Large air-filled outpouching lesions of the duodenum compressed the biliary duct, resulting in upstream biliary ductal dilatation that led to the diagnosis of Lemmel syndrome.

Síndrome biliar obstructivo no litiásico o de Lemmel ¿Es tan infrecuente como parece?

Introducción. Aproximadamente el 5 % de los divertículos duodenales pueden causar síntomas y el 1 % presentar complicaciones, siendo la colangitis la más frecuente. El síndrome de Lemmel corresponde a un tipo de ictericia obstructiva intermitente, asociado a la presencia de divertículos periampulares y disfunción del esfínter de Oddi, sin presencia de coledocolitiasis. Método. Se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura en Pubmed, Google Académico y ProQuest, con los términos: síndrome de Lemmel, divertículo duodenal sintomático e ictericia obstructiva intermitente. Resultados. Se encontraron 38 casos, siendo España el país con mayor número, seguido de México, Japón y Colombia. No hay diferencias de distribución con respecto al género. El tratamiento más frecuentemente empleado fue la colangio pancreatografia retrógrada endoscópica. Conclusión. El síndrome de Lemmel es poco frecuente, sin un cuadro clínico especifico, con un incremento en los casos informados en los últimos años, posiblemente debido a la mejor disponibilidad de métodos diagnósticos. Es más frecuente en pacientes en la octava década de la vida y su tratamiento generalmente es endoscópico.

Debris-Filled Duodenal Diverticulum and Lemmel's Syndrome

We report a case of a 73-year-old woman affected by Lemmel's syndrome, a rare type of obstructive jaundice caused by a periampullary duodenal diverticulum. The patient was admitted to the Emergency Department for pneumonia associated with mild epigastric pain and vomiting. While hospitalized for antibiotic treatment, the appearance of jaundice led us to discover a periampullary duodenal diverticulum by endoscopy and CT scan. The jaundice was successfully managed endoscopically with removal of food debris from the diverticulum.

Lemmel's syndrome due to giant periampullary diverticulum: report of a case

Lemmel's syndrome is a rare cause of obstructive jaundice in the absence of stones or tumors, commonly due to periampullary duodenal diverticulum (PAD). CT scan with the oral and intravenous administration of iodinated contrast media, was crucial to exclude the presence of stones or tumours, but esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) confirms the diagnosis. We report a case of a 72 -year-old woman affected by Lemmel's syndrome secondary to a giant PAD, suffering from right upper abdominal quadrant pain and pancreaticobiliary disease. Subsequently we proceed to analyse the pathogenesis of PAD, and later to discuss pitfalls, tips and tricks useful to make a correct diagnosis, in order to achieve an accurate management.

Duodenal imaging on the spotlight: from A to Z

Abdominal computed tomography (CT) is frequently performed to evaluate gastrointestinal pathologic conditions. The majority of the gastrointestinal radiology literature has concentrated on the colon, stomach, and distal small bowel. The duodenum is often overlooked on imaging, namely on CT, but its anatomy (intra and retroperitoneal) and location in such close proximity to other viscera results in involvement by a multitude of primary and secondary processes, some of them exclusive to this bowel segment. While some conditions, like duplications, lipomas, and diverticula, are usually asymptomatic and are incidentalomas that have no pathologic significance, others are symptomatic and very relevant and should be recognized by every general radiologist: development conditions such as annular pancreas and gut malrotation; inflammatory processes such as ulcers and secondary involvement from pancreatitis; neoplastic conditions such as adenocarcinoma, lymphoma, or local extension from adjacent malignancies. They all can be reliably diagnosed with CT. In this article, we demonstrate the typical imaging features of various diseases involving the duodenum, such as developmental, traumatic, inflammatory, infectious, neoplastic, and postsurgical pathologic conditions in alphabetical order, focusing mainly on upper gastrointestinal series (UGIS) and CT but also some radiography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

Imaging of Ampullary and Periampullary Conditions

The ampulla of Vater is formed by the union of the pancreatic duct and the common bile duct and is also known as hepatopancreatic ampulla or hepatopancreatic duct. The ampulla is surrounded by a muscular valve known as the sphincter of Oddi, which controls the flow of bile and pancreatic juices into the duodenum in response to food. The ampulla is also an important embryological landmark as it marks the anatomical transition from foregut to the midgut. Because of this, it is a watershed zone where the blood supply changes from the celiac axis to the superior mesenteric artery. Radiologic evaluation of the ampulla and the periampullary region is challenging because it requires an understanding of the embryology, the normal appearance, and different anatomic variants. Also, a wide variety of pathologies can occur in this region. The purpose of this review is to present the normal anatomy of the ampulla and the periampullary region on different imaging modalities and to summarize the imaging features of the common variants, and benign and malignant ampullary and periampullary conditions. Understanding of the normal anatomical appearance and variants along with the knowledge of common pathologic conditions affecting the ampulla and periampullary conditions can help radiologists in making accurate diagnosis resulting in optimum patient care.

An unusual cause of obstructive jaundice: Lemmel's syndrome

Lemmel’s syndrome is a rare and misdiagnosed cause of obstructive jaundice. The cause of the obstacle is a duodenal diverticulum located at the periampullary generating a compression effect on the common bile duct with secondary dilation of the extra- and intra-hepatic bile ducts. Late diagnosis of this entity is common and may lead to unnecessary further investigations and therapeutic delay. There are only few case reports of this rare condition. We report a case of 77-year-old female presenting with obstructive jaundice due to Lemmel’s syndrome. The diagnosis was made on a set of clinical, biological and radiological arguments with good improvement after medical treatment.

Acute cholangitis in the context of Lemmel syndrome with signs of diverticulitis

Here, we present the case of a 51-year-old male with pain in the right hypochondrium, jaundice, fever, chills and septic shock. A computed tomography (CT) scan showed a juxtapapillary diverticulum with inflammatory changes, which caused bile duct ectasia and left biliary radicals. We considered this to be a septic shock of a biliary origin due to the cholangitis associated with Lemmel syndrome, with signs of juxtapapillary diverticulitis.

Diagnostic performance of 64-MDCT in detecting ERCP-proven periampullary duodenal diverticula

AIM

To determine the diagnostic performance of 64-slice multidetector computed tomography (64-MDCT) in detecting periampullary duodenal diverticula.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Medical profiles of 120 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-proven patients with (n = 100) and without (n = 20) periampullary duodenal diverticula who had undergone 64-MDCT were retrospectively reviewed. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 64-MDCT in detecting periampullary duodenal diverticula were calculated. Potential factors that might influence the diagnostic performance of 64-MDCT in such patients were also examined.

RESULTS

Patients were 60 males and 60 females with the mean age of 68.8 ± 12.7 (27-93) years. Indications of ERCP were common bile duct stricture (n = 62) or stone (n = 41), biliary cholestasis (n = 16) and acute cholangitis (n = 1). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 64-MDCT in detecting periampullary duodenal diverticula were 76%, 100%, 100%, and 45.5%, respectively. The size of diverticula was the only predictor of 64-MDCT performance, with better results observed in larger (> 20 mm) diverticula.

CONCLUSION

64-MDCT is a highly specific imaging modality in detecting periampullary duodenal diverticula. The diagnostic performance of 64-MDCT increases for larger diverticula.

Peri-ampullary duodenal diverticulum: effect on extrahepatic bile duct dilatation after cholecystectomy

AIM

To investigate the effect of peri-ampullary duodenal diverticula (PAD) on extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) dilatation before and after cholecystectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

During a 5-year period, a total of 860 consecutive patients with prior cholecystectomy were examined using abdominal computed tomography (CT). After exclusion of those with other obstructive EHBD lesions, 61 patients with PAD were recruited for evaluation of EHBD dilatation before and after cholecystectomy and were compared with a randomly sampled control group (n=113) without PAD. EHBD diameter was measured on coronal reconstruction CT using electronic callipers on the picture archiving and communication system monitors by two reviewers in consensus.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in EHBD diameter between PAD and non-PAD groups (8.2±2.8 versus 7.8±2.3 mm; p=0.276) before cholecystectomy. Compared with preoperative diameter, EHBD was significantly dilated after cholecystectomy (7.9±2.5 versus 9.8±3.4 mm, p<0.001), regardless of the presence of PAD; the degree of change was more prominent in the PAD group than in the non-PAD group (3.3±2.4 versus 1.1±1.6 mm; p<0.001) after surgery. The size of PAD did not affect the degree of EHBD dilatation after cholecystectomy (p=0.522). In the non-PAD group, the degree of EHBD dilatation was positively correlated with the follow-up interval after cholecystectomy (r=0.298; p=0.002), while the PAD group showed no significant correlation (r=-0.036; p=0.797). In patients with ≥2 mm postoperative EHBD dilatation, PAD incidence was higher than that in other patients (odds ratio, 8.739; p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Regardless of their size or postoperative follow-up duration, PAD induce marked post-cholecystectomy biliary dilatation.

Two Biliary Cannulation Techniques for ERCP in Patients With Intradiverticular Papilla: A Retrospective Review

PURPOSE

To compare the effectiveness and complications of the different cannulation techniques for bile duct stones removal in patients with intradiverticular papilla.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The records of 472 patients with common bile duct (CBD) stones who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures for bile duct stones removal from January 2014 to December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 42 patients with CBD stones were included in the study and data of included patients were collected retrospectively. The outcomes and complications of ERCP procedures were compared.

RESULTS

Of 42 ERCP procedures included in the study, patients were divided into Two-devices-in-one-channel group (n=20) and Endoclip group (n=22). The success rate of CBD cannulation at first attempt in Two-devices-in-one-channel and Endoclip groups was 85.0% (17/20) and 54.5% (12/22), respectively (P<0.05). The average time it took to cannulation in Endoclip group was much longer than that in Two-devices-in-one-channel Group (17.55±2.06 vs. 10.6±2.75 min, P<0.05). Overall complications occurred in 3 cases of Two-devices-in-one-channel group and in 4 cases of Endoclip group, respectively (15.0% vs. 18.2%, P>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between groups regarding the complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Two-devices-in-one-channel and Endoclip techniques are both safe and effective for bile duct cannulation in patients with intradiverticular papilla.

Lemmel's Syndrome: A Rare Cause of Obstructive Jaundice Secondary to Periampullary Diverticulum

In 1934 Lemmel was the first to report the presence of juxtapapillary diverticula and hepatocholangiopancreatic disease, excluding cholelithiasis. Obstructive jaundice caused by periampullary duodenal diverticulum (PAD) in absence of choledocholithiasis or tumor is known as Lemmel syndrome. A patient with an extraluminal duodenal diverticulum presenting with obstructive jaundice and pancreatitis is presented in this case. Although initially managed conservatively, the patient had recurrence of symptoms after 2 months but then had successful surgical resection of the duodenal diverticulum.

Endoscopic ultrasound of Lemmel's syndrome

Periampullary duodenal diverticula are common and are usually asymptomatic. However, complications like biliary or pancreatic obstruction, duodenal obstruction, perforation, or hemorrhage can occur occasionally. Obstructive jaundice is usually due to biliary stones and periampullary tumors. Rarely, duodenal diverticula may present with obstructive jaundice in the absence of cholelithiasis or other detectable obstacle. This condition is called Lemmel's syndrome. There are only few case reports of this rare condition. We report a case of 78-year-old man presenting with painless obstructive jaundice due to Lemmel's syndrome which was diagnosed on endoscopic ultrasonography.

Non-Meckel's Small Bowel Diverticular Bleeding: Two Case Reports and a Review of the Literature

Gastrointestinal bleeding from non-Meckel’s small bowel diverticulosis is uncommon. Depending on the diverticulum’s location, a patient’s presentation can suggest either an upper or lower gastrointestinal source. We present two cases of bleeding from non-Meckel’s small bowel diverticula. One patient was managed successfully with endoscopic therapy, and the second required surgical resection after two failed attempts at achieving hemostasis endoscopically.