Long-term follow-up after organ-preserving pancreatic head resection in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

In chronic pancreatitis (CP), enlargement of the pancreatic head develops as a result of inflammatory alterations. This report relates to the results attained with an organ-preserving pancreatic head resection (OPPHR) in 135 patients in a 7-year period. The surgical procedure consists of a wide excision of the inflammatory tumor in the region of the pancreatic head, without division and cutting of the pancreas over the portal vein. Reconstruction, with drainage of the secretion from the remaining pancreas into the intestinal tract, takes place through a jejunal Roux-en-Y loop. Only one reoperation was required in consequence to anastomosis bleeding, but no mortality occurred in the postoperative period. The duration of hospitalization ranged between 7 and 12 days. The mean follow-up period was 4.1 years (range, 0.5-7.0). The late mortality rate was 3.7%. The quality of life, measured during the follow-up by using EORTC Quality-of-Life Questionnaire, improved in 89% of the patients. One hundred sixteen patients became complaint-free, while 14 patients had moderate symptoms; the weight increased by a median of 11.3 kg (range, 4-28). The 7-year experience clearly reveals that this OPPHR technique is a safe and effective procedure for definitive control of the complications of CP.