Surgical therapy of chronic pancreatitis: clinical results and health-related quality of life.

INTRODUCTION: There are several well-established surgical procedures for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis (CP). The present study seeks to evaluate the perioperative and long-term outcome of these procedures. METHODS: All patients who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR), and distal pancreatectomy (DP) for CP were retrospectively analyzed with regards to the perioperative outcome and long-term survival. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire. RESULTS: There were 145 patients available for analysis. Major complications (grade IIIb-V) occurred in 19 %, in-hospital mortality was 4.2 %, and 90-day mortality was 3 % with no differences between the different resection groups (all p > 0.05). Ten-year survival was 58 % and was highest in the DP group (100 %) but without statistical significance (p = 0.72). The response rate of the HRQoL assessment was 45 % (65 of 145). There was a significant improvement with regards to pain and HRQoL of all resection groups compared to the preoperative group (all p < 0.05). With respect to HRQoL and pain relief, the PD, DPPHR, and DP did not differ significantly. DISCUSSION: Surgical therapy of CP can be performed safely. The 3 different types of resection performed equally with regards to complications and HRQoL.