In order to define the role of the blind pouch as causal factor of late complications after lateral choledochoduodenostomy ("sump" syndrome), the Authors have reviewed 37 patients previously operated on for common duct stones and/or benign papillary stenosis. In 19 patients, clinical and laboratory data have been associated to cholangiography, barium meal and 99mTc HIDA hepatobiliary scanning. Although we considered a few cases, the results were satisfactory. Slight symptoms noticed in some patients do not derive from "sump syndrome", as proved by the lack of correlations between clinical results and roentgenologic and radioisotopic data.