Management of gallstone pancreatitis during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

In a 22 year study, 21 women had acute pancreatitis develop during pregnancy (11 women) or within six weeks post partum (ten women). Gallstones were the cause of the pancreatitis in all. Operation during the acute attack of pancreatitis was required in only two. Acute pancreatitis subsided in the remaining 19 patients; they were operated upon during the second trimester or the early postpartum period. During pregnancy, surgical treatment for gallstone pancreatitis should consist of cholecystectomy and exploration of the common bile duct without operative cholangiography. During the postpartum period, operative cholangiography is used to determine whether or not exploration of the common bile duct is necessary. Acute pancreatitis associated with pregnancy is "gallstone" pancreatitis; there is no evidence that pregnancy is a specific etiologic factor in pancreatitis. As opposed to nonoperative treatment of symptomatic gallstone pancreatitis in pregnancy, which is accompanied by maternal morbidity or fetal mortality, surgical treatment during the optimal time of the second trimester or early postpartum period was associated with no maternal morbidity or fetal mortality and no recurrent pancreatitis.