The duodenum is the second most commonly occurring diverticulum in the gastrointestinal tract. Though, the diverticulum can induce various complications, no logical screening has been provided for them so far. In this study, the relative prevalence of duodenal diverticulum and their association with bile ducts in patients with pancreatic biliary disease were studied.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 310 patients who underwent ERCP for various reasons. The presence or absence of duodenal diverticulum and complications were also evaluated.

Of 310 patients, 62 (20%) had duodenal diverticulum and the frequency of diverticulum in the order of prevalence was: type B (39%), type D (26%), type A (21%) and type C (14%). The prevalence of the biliary stones in diverticulum group was significantly higher. The biliary duct stenosis was lower in the group with diverticulum and the mean age was significantly higher. There was no significant difference between the two sexes.

The results of this study showed that the prevalence of duodenal diverticulum in patients was higher than the previous studies. There was a significant difference in the incidence of duodenal diverticulum among different age groups. It seems that the diverticulum increase the risk of biliary stones and reduce bile duct stenosis.