Surgical and interventional treatment of chronic pancreatitis.

The management of patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) remains a challenging problem. Main indications for surgery are intractable pain, suspicion of malignancy, and involvement of adjacent organs. The main goal of surgical treatment is improvement of patient quality of life. The surgical treatment approach usually involves proximal pancreatic resection, but lateral pancreaticojejunal drainage may be used for large-duct disease. The newer duodenum-preserving head resections of Beger and Frey provide good pain control and preservation of pancreatic function. Thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy and the endoscopic approach await confirmatory trials to confirm their efficiency in the management of CP. Common bile duct obstruction is addressed by distal Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy but when combined with dudodenal obstruction must be treated by pancreatic head resection. Pancreatic ascites due to disrupted pancreatic duct should be treated by internal drainage. The approach to CP is multidisciplinary, tailoring the various therapeutic options to meet each individual patient's needs. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel and IAP.