[Separate entrance of the main pancreatic duct and of the common bile duct: is it synonymous with easy retrograde cholangiography using endoscopic approach?]

This study focused on endoscopic examination of a prominent papilla which showed two separate orifices revealing separate entrance of the main pancreatic duct and of the common bile duct (A). This was the most rare anatomoendoscopic variation, accounting for only 10% of retrograde cholangiopancreatographies using endoscopic approach (ERCP). However, it facilitated selective biliary catheterization (SBC) in our patient, as one might have expected. Papilla had a pseudo polypoid appearance and a biliary orifice (BO) at the right angle toward the duodenal wall; hence this was a more difficult approach than that via the pancreatic orifice (PO) which, on the other hand, required undesired pancreatic catheterization (B). As SBC was the approach we decided to adopt, the special techniques to consider in this particular case were: transpancreatic sphincterotomy (TPS) alone or TPS after implantation of a pancreatic stent (PS). We opted for the second technique (STP + PS) and we noticed that the implantation of a PS resulted in better BO visualization (C). We could perform SBC without recourse to TPS. In this specific case, as in other cases of difficult SBC in our practice, PS has proven effectiveness.