BACKGROUND: Pancreatic duct stone is a rare disease, but there appears to be a rising trend in its incidence in recent years. Its pathogenesis remains unknown. The causes, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic duct stone are reviewed through a retrospective analysis of the cases treated in our hospital. 
METHODS: The medical records of 88 patients with pancreatic duct stone treated in West China Hospital, Sichuan University from January 1, 1998 to November 30, 2004 were analyzed retrospectively in terms of clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment. 
RESULTS: Epigastric pain was the most common symptom in the 88 patients with an average age of 45.44±6.72 years. Various other symptoms were also observed. Eighty-one patients were subjected to B-ultrasonography, 51 to CT, and 47 to magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). Fifty-six patients (63.64%) were operated on, 25 (28.41%) were treated with Chinese and Western medicine, and 7 (7.95%) abandoned treatment. Chronic pancreatitis was pathologically confirmed in all patients undergoing operation. 
CONCLUSIONS: B-ultrasonography is the first choice to check for pancreatic duct stone, while MRCP proves instructively useful for the diagnosis and treatment. Chronic pancreatitis is the most important cause of pancreatic duct stone, but whether there is not a direct correlation between stone formation and alcohol abuse needs further study in China. Surgery is the most curative method for pancreatic duct stone patients with severe symptoms or suspected pancreatic carcinoma, while individual treatment is emphasized, and microtraumatic surgery may be a developing option for treating pancreatic stone.