Pancreaticojejunostomy for fulminating pancreatitis and pancreatic ascites in a Jehovah's Witness.

ABSTRACT

Pancreatitis is generally restricted to adults, most often caused or aggravated by alcoholism or biliary tract disorders, and rarely develops in children. When the diagnosis is made, the patient usually can be treated medically; however, the disease often has nonspecific early symptoms and is not discovered until potentially fatal complications have ensued. We present an unusual case of severe posttraumatic pancreatic ascites in an anemic 3-yr-old child whose parents were of the Jehovah's Witness faith. She underwent successful surgical treatment involving distal pancreaticojejunostomy with preservation of the spleen.