Laparoscopic Puestow: lateral pancreaticojejunostomy.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic pancreatitis is a painful inflammatory disease that leads to progressive and irreversible destruction of pancreatic parenchyma [1]. A lateral pancreaticojejunostomy, also known as the Puestow procedure, is performed for symptomatic chronic pancreatitis associated with a dilated pancreatic duct secondary to calcifications or strictures [4]. An open approach is used traditionally due to the complexity of the case, and there have only been a handful of laparoscopic case reports [2]. This video depicts a laparoscopic lateral pancreaticojejunostomy for chronic pancreatitis. METHODS: A 45-year-old gentleman with a 20-year history of chronic alcohol abuse presented with diffuse abdominal pain. His pain was worse postprandially and associated with loose stools. A computed tomography scan revealed multiple calcified deposits within the body and tail of the pancreas, and a dilated pancreatic duct measuring 1.4 cm with a proximal obstructing calcified stone. A 5-port foregut technique was used, and a 15-cm pancreatic ductotomy was performed with an ultrasonic scalpel. Calcified stones were cleared from the duct, and a roux-en-y pancreaticojejunostomy was performed using a hand-sewn technique. RESULTS: The patient had a relatively uncomplicated hospital course with return of bowel function on postoperative day 4. His patient-controlled analgesic device was discontinued on post operative day 3. He was ambulating, tolerating a regular diet and discharged home on postoperative day 5. At 12- and 26-month follow-up, he remains off narcotics, but still requires 1-2 tabs of pancreatic enzyme replacement per meal. Most importantly, he has not had any alcohol for over 2 years. CONCLUSION: The two primary goals in treating chronic pancreatitis include long-term pain relief and improvements in quality of life [3]. For patients with chronic pancreatitis and a dilated pancreatic duct, a laparoscopic lateral pancreaticojejunostomy may be an effective approach to decrease pain and improve quality of life.

Necrotizing pancreatitis complicated by oesophageal haemorrhage.

Bleeding is a rare complication of pancreatic pseudocyst. We describe an exceptional case of necrotizing pseudocyst with mediastinal extension providing cataclysmic oesophageal haemorrhage. The patient was successfully treated by adequate endoscopic, radiological and surgical management.

Frey's pancreaticojejunostomy in tropical pancreatitis: assessment of quality of life. A prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Tropical pancreatitis is a form of chronic pancreatitis originally described in the tropics. Prospective studies in Western countries have shown improved quality of life (QOL) following surgery in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. In studies on Frey's pancreaticojejunostomy for tropical pancreatitis, improvement in pain was considered the endpoint, and there is a paucity of data in the literature with regard to QOL with tropical pancreatitis following surgery. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to prospectively analyze the outcome of Frey's pancreaticojejunostomy in tropical pancreatitis and health-related QOL following surgery by administering the Short Form 36-item health survey (SF-36). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 25 patients underwent Frey's pancreaticojejunostomy between 2010 and 2012 and were included in the study; data were collected prospectively. The visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and the SF-36 form were used to record health-related QOL preoperatively, and at 3 and 12 months post-surgery, comparing the same with the general population. RESULTS: Patients with tropical pancreatitis experience poor QOL (26.71 ± 15.95) compared with the general population (84.54 ± 12.42). Post-operative QOL scores (78.54 ± 15.84) were better than the pre-operative scores (26.71 ± 15.95) at 12-month post-surgery follow-up. The VAS score for pain improved at 12 months post-surgery (1.58 ± 1.41 vs. 8.21 ± 1.64). Two of the three patients (12.5 %) who had diabetes were free from anti-diabetes medication at 12 months post-surgery. Steatorrhea was seen in five patients (20.8 %) before surgery and increased to eight (33.3 %) at 12 months post-surgery. Mean body weight increased from 45.75 kg pre-operatively to 49.25 kg at 12 months post-operatively. CONCLUSIONS: Frey's pancreaticojejunostomy effectively reduces pain in tropical pancreatitis, with significant improvement in health-related QOL, which is comparable with the general population in most aspects.

Endoscopic transpapillary pancreatic stenting for internal pancreatic fistula with the disruption of the pancreatic ductal system.

BACKGROUND: Internal pancreatic fistula (IPF) is a well-recognized complication of pancreatic diseases. Although there have been many reports concerning IPF, the therapy for IPF still remains controversial. We herein report our experiences with endoscopic transpapillary pancreatic stent therapy for IPF and evaluate its validity. METHOD: Six patients with IPF who presented at our department and received endoscopic transpapillary pancreatic stent therapy were investigated, focusing on the clinical and imaging features as well as treatment strategies, the response to therapy and the outcome. RESULTS: All patients were complicated with stenosis or obstruction of the main pancreatic duct, and in these cases the pancreatic ductal disruption developed distal to the areas of pancreatic stricture. The sites of pancreatic ductal disruption were the pancreatic body in five patients and the pancreatic tail in one patient. All patients received endoscopic stent placement over the stenosis site of the pancreatic duct. Three patients improved completely and one patient improved temporarily. Finally, three patients underwent surgical treatment for IPF. All patients have maintained a good course without a recurrence of IPF. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic transpapillary pancreatic stent therapy may be an appropriate first-line treatment to be considered before surgical treatment. The point of stenting for IPF is to place a stent over the stenosis site of the pancreatic duct to reduce the pancreatic ductal pressure and the pseudocyst's pressure.

Prospective evaluation of pain control and quality of life in patients with chronic pancreatitis following bilateral thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal pain in chronic pancreatitis (CP) is the most common symptom with a highly unfavorable impact on the quality of life. It has been shown that bilateral thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy (BTS) may produce marked pain relief for the majority of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of BTS in pain control and quality-of-life improvement in patients with a severe form of CP. METHODS: Between April 2000 and April 2009, a total of 30 patients qualified for BTS due to CP-related pain. Their age ranged from 28 to 60 years. A 12-month follow-up period was planned for all the patients enrolled. To evaluate effectiveness of BTS, an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire C-30 (QLQ-C30) in its basic form, developed by European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, were used. An NRS value between 0 and 3 was considered a positive postoperative pain control result. RESULTS: The bilateral splanchnicectomy procedure was performed successfully in 27 of 30 qualified patients. A positive effect based on decreased pain (p < 0.05) at 12 months was achieved in 24 patients (80 %). The initial change in quality of life was not significant but it gradually improved with time (preop vs. 12 months QLQ-C30 score, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that BTS is safe and efficacious for pain alleviation in patients with severe CP. It may significantly increase the chances of a long-lasting, life-changing improvement in the quality of life.

Heterotopic pancreas autotransplantation with spleen for uncontrollable hemorrhagic pseudocyst and disabling pain in chronic pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In this study, we report on a heterotopic segmental pancreatic autotransplantation (HPAT) with spleen for alcoholic chronic pancreatitis with uncontrollable hemorrhagic pseudocyst and complete portal venous obstruction. The patient was a 72-year-old man who had an alcoholic chronic pancreatitis with severe abdominal pain and hemorrhagic pseudocyst. The first bleeding from a pseudoaneurism of the gastro-duodenal artery (GDA) to the cyst of pancreas head was stopped by interventional radiology (IVR) at our hospital on May 2010. The second bleeding happened with severe abdominal pain on February 15th, 2011; he was admitted on February 17. The IVR was not successful. METHODOLOGY: There were two problems for the operation. The first was the severe inflammation and the second was the control of hemorrhage from GDA. We were afraid of the postoperative hemorrhage due to the leakage of pancreatic juice in the pancreato-duodenectomy (PD). Therefore, we chose the HPAT as a solution for postoperative hemorrhage and severe abdominal pain. After complete duodeno-pancreatectomy with spleen, we performed HPAT with spleen on March 8, 2011. The pancreatic duct reconstruction was performed by Roux-en-Y anastomosis to the jejunum. RESULTS: The postoperative course was uneventful. The abdominal pain had resolved completely and the patient remained normoglycemic after HPAT. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that HPAT is a useful option for hemorrhagic pseudocyst of the pancreas head with severe abdominal pain of chronic pancreatitis.

Interventional radiology in acute pancreatitis: friend or foe?

CONTEXT: Peripancreatic fluid collections are known complications of pancreatitis. The majority of fluid collections can be drained percutaneously under radiological guidance. Although radiological percutaneous drainage is regarded as safe, here it resulted in catastrophic haemorrhage from the colon due to an iatrogenic injury. CASE REPORT: We present a case of a 70-year-old man who presented with acute alcohol-related severe necrotizing pancreatitis and an associated massive peripancreatic fluid collection. The drainage of this collection was attempted under computed tomography (CT) scan guidance. During the procedure the splenic artery and the splenic flexure of the colon were inadvertently damaged leading to life threatening per rectal bleeding requiring emergency angiographic embolisation of the splenic artery. CONCLUSION: Radiological drainage of peripancreatic fluid collections is generally regarded as having lower rates of complications compared to surgical necrosectomy. However, in this case it leads to a life threatening per rectal bleed requiring emergency splenic artery embolisation.

[Inhibition of pancreatic stellate cell activation by lisinopril for prevention fibrogenesis in experimental chronic alcoholic pancreatitis].

Lisinopril (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor) attenuates fibrotic changes in pancreas after distal pancreatectomy in rats with experimental alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis. Lisinopril was administered after distal pancreatectomy in rats with experimental alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis. The animals were treated with lisinopril at the dose of 10 mg/kg body weight per day for 21 days after operation. To estimate the efficacy of the treatment on activity and number of pancreatic stellate cells the immunohistochemical investigation was made with alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), desmin, vimentin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) using. The treatment of rats after operation with lisinopril inhibite activity of pancreatic stellate cells and characterized by significant decrease of the alpha-SMA, desmin, GFAP, vimentin and TIMP-2 expression. The ratio of MMP-1/TIMP-2 was greater in the group with treatment then in the control group. This therapy had a trend to alleviate the fibrotic changes in pancreas.

[Surgical treatment of chronic pancreatitis based on classification of M. Buchler and coworkers].

The results of surgical treatment of 452 patients, suffering chronic pancreatitis (CHP), were analyzed. The CHP classification, elaborated by M. Buchler and coworkers (2009), based on clinical signs, morphological peculiarities and pancreatic function analysis, contains scientifically substantiated recommendations for choice of diagnostic methods and complex treatment of the disease. The classification proposed is simple in application and constitutes an instrument for studying and comparison of the CHP course severity, the patients prognosis and treatment.

Surgical management of acute pancreatitis in Italy: lessons from a prospective multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the surgical treatment of acute pancreatitis in Italy and to assess compliance with international guidelines. METHODS: A series of 1173 patients in 56 hospitals were prospectively enrolled and their data analysed. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients with severe pancreatitis underwent surgical intervention. Necrosectomy was performed in 26 patients, associated with postoperative lavage in 70% of cases. A feeding jejunostomy was added in 37% of cases. Mortality was 21%. Of the patients with mild pancreatitis, 714 patients with a biliary aetiology were evaluated. Prophylactic treatment of relapses was carried out in 212 patients (36%) by cholecystectomy and in 161 using a laparoscopic approach. Preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was associated with cholecystectomy in 83 patients (39%). Forty-seven patients (22%) were treated at a second admission, with a median delay of 31 days from the onset of pancreatitis. Eighteen patients with severe pancreatitis underwent cholecystectomy 37.9 days after the first admission. There were no deaths. DISCUSSION: The results indicate poor compliance with published guidelines. In severe pancreatitis, early surgical intervention is frequently performed and enteral feeding is seldom used. Only a small number of patients with mild biliary pancreatitis undergo definitive treatment (i.e. cholecystectomy) within 4 weeks of the onset of pancreatitis.

Splenic Artery Pseudoaneurysm Causing Massive Hematemesis 10 Years After Necrotizing Pancreatitis.

We report a case of a 54-year-old male presenting to a regional hospital with severe hematemesis and hemodynamic instability. His medical history was significant for a previous episode of alcoholic necrotizing pancreatitis and pseudocyst, requiring cystoenterostomy drainage and debridement 10 years prior. He underwent multiple gastroscopies and one emergency laparotomy which failed to definitively treat the bleeding. A splenic artery pseudoaneurysm was diagnosed with computed tomography angiography, adjacent to the previous cystoenterostomy site. The patient was transferred to a major tertiary center with access to interventional radiology and underwent successful embolization of the pseudoaneurysm.

Chronic pancreatitis in primary hyperparathyroidism: comparison with alcoholic and idiopathic chronic pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Primary hyperparathyroidism is a rare cause of chronic pancreatitis and there is a paucity of data on this interesting association. There is also no data comparing the clinical profile of chronic pancreatitis secondary to primary hyperparathyroidism with that of alcohol related and idiopathic chronic pancreatitis. METHODS: The clinical and biochemical spectrum of chronic pancreatitis secondary to primary hyperparathyroidism was evaluated retrospectively and compared with nine age-matched patients with alcohol related and idiopathic chronic pancreatitis. RESULTS: Renal colic, nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis, bone disease, palpable neck nodule, and psychiatric abnormality were significantly more common in chronic pancreatitis due to hyperparathyroidism in comparison to alcoholic and idiopathic groups. The corrected calcium (10.8 +/- 0.9 vs 9.3 +/- 0.6 vs 9.2 +/- 0.8 mg/dL; P = 0.001) and intact parathormone (425 +/- 130 [SE]vs 22.2 +/- 14.3 [SE]vs 30 +/- 27.3 [SE] pg/mL; P = 0.009) levels were significantly elevated, while levels of serum phosphate were significantly less (3.1 +/- 0.4 vs 3.9 +/- 0.5 vs 3.4 +/- 0.7 mg/dL, respectively; P = 0.04) in chronic pancreatitis due to hyperparathyroidism in comparison to the alcoholic and idiopathic groups. No significant difference was observed in the frequency of steatorrhea, diabetes mellitus, pancreatic calcification, and pseudocyst between the three groups. Six out of nine patients underwent parathyroidectomy and none had recurrence of pancreatic pain over 14.3 +/- 13.8 months. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic pancreatitis due to hyperparathyroidism has important characteristics in its biochemical and clinical manifestations. Parathyroidectomy relieves pancreatic pain in majority of patients.

Surgical treatment of alcohol-associated chronic pancreatitis: the challenges and pitfalls.

Long-term excessive alcohol consumption is the most common risk factor for the development of chronic pancreatitis. Management of patients with alcohol-associated chronic pancreatitis can be complicated by problems associated with dependency, psychosocial burden, and physical changes like malnutrition and hepatic insufficiency. The records of 372 consecutive patients who underwent lateral pancreaticojejunostomy (LPJ, n = 184), pancreatoduodenectomy (PD, n = 97), or distal pancreatectomy (DP, n = 91) for chronic pancreatitis were retrospectively analyzed. Long-term outcome was assessed by patient survey with a median follow up of 5.5 +/- 0.2 years. Of 372 patients, 171 underwent surgery for alcohol-associated chronic pancreatitis. According to patient questioning, the prevalence of alcohol cessation before surgery in the 171 patients was 81 per cent. Operative morbidity in the 171 patients was 20 per cent, 50 per cent, and 26 per cent after LPJ, PD, and DP, respectively, with an overall perioperative mortality rate of 2 per cent. None of the patients developed delirium tremens using an alcohol withdrawal protocol. Continued alcohol abuse before surgery did not affect perioperative morbidity (P > 0.05). Follow up was available for a total of 229 patients, of which 39 per cent with alcohol-associated chronic pancreatitis had died compared with 16 per cent in the nonalcohol group (P < 0.001). Of the remaining 171 patients, 45 per cent with alcohol-associated chronic pancreatitis had good pain control compared with 49 per cent of the remainder (P > 0.05). Continuation of alcohol abuse after operation did not affect success for pain control at follow up (P > 0.05). Surgical treatment of alcohol-associated chronic pancreatitis can be performed with similar morbidity and mortality compared with other forms of chronic pancreatitis. Alcohol cessation is preferred but not mandated to achieve good operative long-term outcome. Caution needs to be taken to prevent postoperative alcohol withdrawal. Long-term follow up with psychosocial support and management of co-existing addictions is important.