Pancreatic function after acute biliary pancreatitis: does it change?

According to the Cambridge and Marseilles symposia, morphologic and functional recovery from acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP) occurs if the initial cause and complications are eradicated. Nevertheless, in recent years there has been controversy over this topic, and varying results have been reported. These differing results may be due to different diagnostic methods, number of patients studied with regard to etiologic factors, severity of the disease, and differences in the tests used. A total of 63 ABP patients [17 male (27%), 46 female (73%); 45 mild, 18 severe] were prospectively studied. All patients underwent cholecystectomy. No patient in this series underwent necrosectomy or pancreatectomy. During the acute phase the severity of the disease was assessed following the Atlanta criteria, and the occurrence and rate of necrosis were determined by dynamic computed tomography. Exocrine and endocrine pancreatic functions were assessed at 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year after the ABP episode by means of various pancreatic function tests. We evaluated the occurrence of pancreatic failure following ABP and if this deficiency was associated with the severity of the episode. According to the classic symposia criteria, the study showed no deficit in exocrine or endocrine pancreatic function. No statistically significant differences were found when the pancreatic function and severity of the process were assessed.