EPC/HPSG evidence-based guidelines for the management of pediatric pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric pancreatitis is an underdiagnosed disease with variable etiology. In the past 10-15 years the incidence of pediatric pancreatitis has increased, it is now 3.6-13.3 cases per 100,000 children. Up-to-date evidence based management guidelines are lacking for the pediatric pancreatitis. The European Pancreatic Club, in collaboration with the Hungarian Pancreatic Study Group organized a consensus guideline meeting on the diagnosis and management of pancreatitis in the pediatric population. METHODS: Pediatric Pancreatitis was divided into three main clinical categories: acute pancreatitis, acute recurrent pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. Fifteen relevant topics (acute pancreatitis: diagnosis; etiology; prognosis; imaging; complications; therapy; biliary tract management; acute recurrent pancreatitis: diagnosis; chronic pancreatitis: diagnosis, etiology, treatment, imaging, intervention, pain, complications; enzyme replacement) were defined. Ten experts from the USA and Europe reviewed and summarized the available literature. Evidence was classified according to the GRADE classification system. RESULTS: Within fifteen topics, forty-seven relevant clinical questions were defined. The draft of the updated guideline was presented and discussed at the consensus meeting held during the 49th Meeting of European Pancreatic Club, in Budapest, on July 1, 2017. CONCLUSIONS: These evidence-based guidelines provides the current state of the art of the diagnosis and management of pediatric pancreatitis.

Biliary microflora in patients undergoing cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: The management of acute cholecystitis requires a sound knowledge of the biliary microflora. METHODS: Bile samples were taken for culture according to a standard routine during all cholecystectomies performed from April 2007 to February 2009 in the Department of Surgery at Enköping Hospital. The use of antibiotics within the 3-mo period before surgery, indication for surgery, prophylactic antibiotics, and post-operative complications were recorded prospectively. RESULTS: Altogether, 246 procedures were performed during the study period, of which 149 (62%) were done on women. The mean (±SD) age of the study subjects was 49±16 y. Bacterial growth was seen in cultures from 34 (14%) of the subjects. The mean age of subjects with positive cultures was 64 y and that of subjects with negative cultures was 47 y (p<0.001). Positive culture was seen in 16 (31%) of the 51 patients who underwent operations for acute cholecystitis, whereas positive cultures were obtained in 18 of 195 patients without acute cholecystitis (9%) (p<0.001). Resistance to ampicillin was recorded in three of 34 (9%) of the cultures with bacterial growth, to co-trimoxazole in one of the 34 (3%) cultures, to fluoroquinolones in one of the 34 (3%) cultures, and to cephalosporins in one of the 34 (3%) cultures. Resistance to piperacillin-tazobactam was not observed in any of the cultures. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, a positive culture was the only factor significantly associated with risk for post-operative infectious complications (p<0.05). DISCUSSION: Bacterial growth in the bile is observed more often in patients undergoing surgery for acute cholecystitis. The microflora of the bile is probably important for the outcome of surgery, but further studies are required for assessing the effectiveness of measures for preventing infectious post-operative complications.

Effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis in cholecystectomy: a prospective population-based study of 1171 cholecystectomies.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the benefit from antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) during cholecystectomy in a population-based cohort study. METHODS: All cholecystectomies performed in Uppsala County, 2003-2005, were registered prospectively according to a standardized protocol. High-risk procedures (HP) were defined as operations for acute cholecystitis and procedures including exploration of the common bile duct. Infections requiring surgical or percutaneous drainage and non-surgical infections that prolonged hospital stay were defined as major infectious complications (IC). RESULTS: Altogether 1171 patients underwent cholecystectomy. AP was given to 130 of 867 (15%) of the patients undergoing low-risk procedures (LP) and 205 of 304 (67%) of those undergoing H-R P. Major IC were seen in 6 of 205 (3%) of the patients undergoing H-R P with AP and 1 of 99 of the patients undergoing H-R P without AP. No major IC was seen after L-R P. Minor IC were seen after 5 of 205 (2%) HP with AP, 1 of 99 (1%) HP without AP, 0 of 130 (0%) LP with AP, and 2 of 737 (0.3%) LP without AP. In univariate logistic analysis, the overall risk for IC was found to be higher with AP (p < 0.05), but the increase did not remain significant if adjusting for age, gender, ASA class, H-R P/L-R P and surgical approach or limiting the analysis to major IC. CONCLUSION: There is no benefit from AP in uncomplicated procedures. The effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis in complicated cholecystectomy must be evaluated in randomized controlled trials.

Are liver function tests, pancreatitis and cholecystitis predictors of common bile duct stones? Results of a prospective, population-based, cohort study of 1171 patients undergoing cholecystectomy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the accuracy of elevated liver function values, age, gender, pancreatitis and cholecystitis as predictors of common bile duct stones (CBDS). METHODS: All patients operated on for gallstone disease over a period of 3 years in a Swedish county of 302,564 citizens were registered prospectively. Intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) was used to detect CBDS. RESULTS: A total of 1171 patients were registered; 95% of these patients underwent IOC. Common bile duct stones were found in 42% of patients with elevated liver function values, 20% of patients with a history of pancreatitis and 9% of patients with cholecystitis. The presence of CBDS was significantly predicted by elevated liver function values, but not by age, gender, history of acute pancreatitis or cholecystitis. A total of 93% of patients with normal liver function tests had a normal IOC. The best agreement between elevated liver function values and CBDS was seen in patients undergoing elective surgery without a history of acute pancreatitis or cholecystitis. CONCLUSIONS: Although alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin levels represented the most reliable predictors of CBDS, false positive and false negative values were common, especially in patients with a history of cholecystitis or pancreatitis, which indicates that other mechanisms were responsible for elevated liver function values in these patients.

Validation of Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index in Swedish for assessing the impact of gallstones on health-related quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to validate a Swedish translation of the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) questionnaire in patients with gallstone disease. METHODS: Sensitivity to change, internal consistency, and test-retest stability were tested in 187 consecutive patients who underwent planned cholecystectomy. Construct validity was assessed by comparing the GIQLI score with the bodily pain scale of SF-36 and four single-item questions in a separate group of 104 patients. RESULTS: A significant increase in all five domains as well as in the overall GIQLI score 6 months after surgery (all P < 0.05) was seen. All five domains correlated significantly with other measures of gallstone-related symptoms except one single-item question. Intraclass correlations ranged from 0.62 to 0.87. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.77 to 0.89. CONCLUSION: The Swedish translation of GIQLI has a high validity and reliability for assessing the impact of gallstones on quality of life.

Primary patency of percutaneously inserted self-expanding metallic stents in patients with malignant biliary obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Effective bile duct drainage is crucial to the health-related quality of life of patients with jaundice caused by obstruction of the bile duct by inoperable malignant tumours. METHODS: All patients who were treated at Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden with percutaneous stenting between 2000 and 2005 were identified retrospectively. Data on the location of the obstruction and type of stent used, date and cause of death and date of stent failure were abstracted from the patients' notes. Stent patency was defined as the duration from the insertion of the stent to the date of failure. In cases in which the cause of death was directly related to failure of the stent, the date of death was defined as the patency endpoint. RESULTS: A total of 64 patients (34 women, 30 men) were identified. Their mean age was 71 years (standard deviation 11 years). The median length of patency was 11.4 months. Stent diameter >10 mm and distal stricture were found to be associated with significantly longer patency time in univariate Cox proportional hazard analysis. In multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, only location of the stricture was found to be independently and significantly associated with patency time. DISCUSSION: Percutaneous stenting is a good alternative for patients with obstructive jaundice and a life expectancy < or = 1 year. It may give instant relief from the symptoms associated with jaundice. Patency time may be prolonged by using stents with a diameter > or = 10 mm. However, patency time was found to be lower for hilar tumours.

How reliable is intraoperative cholangiography as a method for detecting common bile duct stones? : A prospective population-based study on 1171 patients.

BACKGROUND: Although intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) is a widely used method for detecting common bile duct stones (CBDS), its accuracy has not been fully evaluated in large nonselected patient samples. The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of dynamic IOC regarding its ability to diagnose CBDS in a population-based setting, and to assess the morbidity associated with the investigation. METHODS: All patients operated on for gallstone disease between 2003 and 2005 in the county of Uppsala in Sweden, a county with a population of 302,000 in December 2004, were registered prospectively. The outcome of cholangiography was validated against the postoperative clinical course. RESULTS: 1171 patients were registered, and among these IOC was performed in 1117 patients (95%). Common bile duct stones were found in 134 patients (11%). One perforation of the common bile duct caused by the IOC catheter was recorded. Sensitivity was 97%, specificity 99%, negative predictive value 99%, positive predictive value 95%, and overall accuracy 99%. In 7 of the 134 cases where IOC indicated CBDS, no stones could be verified on exploration. In 4 of the 979 cases where IOC was normal, the clinical course indicated overlooked CBDS. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative cholangiography is a safe and accurate method for detecting common bile duct stones.

TPS, CA 19-9, VEGF-A, and CEA as diagnostic and prognostic factors in patients with mass lesions in the pancreatic head.

INTRODUCTION: Although numerous tumour markers are available for periampullary tumours, including pancreatic cancer, their specificity and sensitivity have been questioned. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess the diagnostic and prognostic values of tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) we took serum samples in 56 patients with mass lesions in the pancreatic head. Among these patients, further investigations revealed pancreatic cancer in 20 patients, other malignant diseases in 12 and benign conditions in 24. RESULTS: Median CEA in all patients was 3.4 microg/L (range 0.5-585.0), median CA 19-9 was105 kU/L (range 0.6-1 300 00), median TPS 123.5 U/L (range 15.0-3350) and median VEGF-A 132.5 ng/L (range 60.0-4317). Area under the curve was 0.747, standard error (standard error [SE] =0.075) for CEA, 0.716 (SE=0.078) for CA 19-9 and 0.822 (SE=0.086) for TPS in ROC plots based on the ability of the tumours to distinguish between benign and malignant conditions. None of the markers significantly predicted survival in the subgroup of patients with pancreatic cancer. DISCUSSION: Our study shows that the markers may be used as fairly reliable diagnostic tools, but cannot be used to predict survival.

Biliary pancreatic portal fistula as a complication of chronic pancreatitis: a case report with review of the literature.

In this study we describe an unusual complication in a patient suffering from chronic calcifying pancreatitis. The patient had a fistula between the common bile duct, the pancreatic duct, and the portal vein. He received supportive medical treatment and achieved long-term survival. A review of the literature including diagnosis, treatment and outcome of this rare complication is presented.