Post-Acute Pancreatitis Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency: Rationale and Methodology of a Prospective, Observational, Multicenter Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: We describe the methodology of Post-Acute Pancreatitis Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency (PAPPEI), a prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study. The objectives of PAPPEI are to estimate the incidence rate of post-acute pancreatitis (AP) pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI), define factors that determine the development of post-AP PEI, and evaluate the impact of post-AP PEI on nutritional status and quality of life. METHODS: Enrollment started in June 2017 in 3 expert academic centers in the United States. Data were collected during hospitalization (baseline) at 3 and 12 months after enrollment. Fecal elastase-1 was used to assess PEI. Study questionnaires are completed by patient interview and review of electronic medical records. Blood is obtained to evaluate vitamin deficiencies and nutritional markers. RESULTS: As of August 2020, 77 subjects have completed the baseline evaluation. The median age was 58 years (interquartile range, 39-67 years), 38% were male, and 90% were white. The etiology of AP was biliary in 39 subjects (51%), and 51 subjects (66%) had mild AP. Three- and 12-month follow-up data have been collected in 29 and 13 subjects, respectively. CONCLUSION: The PAPPEI study aims to expand our understanding of post-AP PEI incidence, including its impact on nutritional status and quality of life.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Abdominal Pain and Disability at 1-Year Follow-up After an Attack of Acute Pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to report the prevalence and predictors of abdominal pain and disability 1 year after an acute pancreatitis (AP) attack. METHODS: Patients were prospectively enrolled between December 2012 and April 2016. Enrolled subjects were contacted at a median of 13 months after enrollment. Multivariable regression models were used to determine factors independently associated with abdominal pain at follow-up. RESULTS: Response rate was 71% (110/155). Of respondents, median age was 51 years, 58% were female, and 14% had severe AP. At follow-up, 24% of patients reported abdominal pain (65% intermittent, 35% constant), 10% used analgesics regularly, and 6% had regular opioids use. Furthermore, 41% of patients experienced pain-related interference with work or daily activities, and 8% developed disability. On regression analysis, idiopathic etiology (odds ratio [OR], 3.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-13.6) persistent organ failure (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.1-7.9), and recurrent AP (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.1-10.6) were independently associated with abdominal pain at follow-up. Disability at follow-up was associated with younger age, current smoking, and intensive care unit admission (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal pain and disability are potential long-term sequelae of AP. Certain pre-existing factors and pancreatitis features are associated with these outcomes at one-year follow-up of AP.

Association of Dietary Habits with Severity of Acute Pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: The effect of diet on risk of acute pancreatitis (AP) has been suggested by prior studies, but the association of dietary habits with severity of AP has not been previously evaluated. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess differences in reported dietary habits in patients with severe AP compared with those with mild or moderate AP. METHODS: A prospectively maintained cohort of patients with AP was utilized. A brief questionnaire on dietary habits was implemented. Dietary habits were categorized based on the overall type of diet, fruit/vegetable servings, fat content, dairy consumption, dessert/sweets consumption, and fluid intake. Patients were grouped into mild/moderate and severe AP. Multivariate analysis was used to determine whether dietary habits have an independent association with AP severity. RESULTS: 407 patients with AP were studied. Mean patient age was 51 y, and 202 (50%) were men. 29% of patients were smokers and 46% actively consumed alcohol. 225 patients had mild AP, 103 moderate AP, and 79 developed severe AP. The 3 groups were comparable in race, body mass index, etiology of AP, and comorbidities. Dietary factors were overall comparable between the groups except for diet type: subjects with severe AP had a higher percentage of consuming a meat-rich diet (84%) than patients with mild AP (72%) and moderate AP (67%) (P = 0.04). Based on multivariable logistic regression, the OR of developing severe AP was 2.5 (95% CI: 1.24-5.32, P = 0.01) between patients who eat a meat-rich diet and those who consume a vegetable-based diet. CONCLUSIONS: A meat-rich diet is independently associated with the development of persistent organ failure (severe disease) in patients with AP. These findings require further evaluation and could be useful for patient counseling, risk stratification, and disease prevention. This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03075605.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Creation of a Gastrogastric Conduit After Pancreaticoduodenectomy in a Patient with Prior Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

We present a 65-year-old man with a history of a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and an ampullary adenocarcinoma, treated initially with a Whipple operation, who developed chronic left upper quadrant pain as a consequence of retained gastric contents within a dilated gastric remnant that was no longer in continuity. This was treated successfully with the endoscopic ultrasound-guided creation of a gastrogastric conduit via a covered metal stent. This represents a unique complication of pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with a prior Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Clinical Profile and Natural Course in a Large Cohort of Patients With Hypertriglyceridemia and Pancreatitis.

GOALS: To report the clinical profile and natural course in a large series of patients with hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) and acute pancreatitis (AP). BACKGROUND: The natural history of HTG-related pancreatitis is poorly defined. STUDY: Medical records of 121 patients with serum triglycerides (TG) levels of ≥500 mg/dL suffering 225 attacks of AP between January 2001 to August 2013 treated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center were retrospectively studied. Structured data were collected on initial presentation and long-term outcomes (mean follow-up 64.7±42.8 mo). AP severity was classified using Revised Atlanta Classification. RESULTS: Most patients were young-middle aged (mean 44±12.7 y), male (70%), white (78%), and had sentinel AP (63%). Peak serum TG recorded was ≥1000 mg/dL in 48%. At least 1 secondary risk factor (diabetes, high-risk drinking, obesity, offending medications) was present in the majority (78%). Sentinel AP attack varied in severity between mild (41%), moderate (26%), and severe (33%). Recurrent AP attacks occurred in 32%, often in patients with poorly controlled diabetes, alcoholism, and TG levels. A cumulative increase in prevalence of pancreatic and/or peripancreatic necrosis was observed, with 45% patients having it at some time during observation. Local complications were higher in patients with serum TG ≥1000 mg/dL. Chronic pancreatitis was noted in 16.5% patients (new-onset in 9%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HTG-related pancreatitis have a high prevalence of secondary risk factors. Frequent recurrences in them are usually due to poor control of secondary factors or TG. Serum TG ≥1000 mg/dL increases the risk of local complications. A subset can have or develop chronic pancreatitis.

Isolated Peripancreatic Necrosis in Acute Pancreatitis Is Infrequent and Leads to Severe Clinical Course Only When Extensive: A Prospective Study From a US Tertiary Center.

GOALS: To explore the diagnostic challenges, management, and clinical outcomes of patients with isolated peripancreatic necrosis (PPN), with emphasis on the extent of involvement, and compare them to pancreatic necrosis (PN). BACKGROUND: PPN, a relatively new term, has been included as a separate entity in the Revised Atlanta Classification. STUDY: Clinical data of recruited acute pancreatitis patients were recorded prospectively. Contrast-enhanced computed tomographic scans were reviewed by expert radiologists blinded to clinical outcomes. RESULTS: In total, 271 of the 400 acute pancreatitis patients underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography, of which 29 (11%) had PPN (14: limited; 15: extensive) and 124 (46%) PN (40: <30%, 16: 30% to 50%, 68: >50% of parenchyma). Patients with PPN were similar to PN in age (56 y), gender (55% male), and body mass index (29 kg/m(2)). Nutritional support was provided in 18 (62%) patients with PPN and 97 (78%) with PN (P=0.12). Drainage/debridement was required in 2 patients (7%) with PPN and 64 (53%) with parenchymal necrosis (P<0.001). Persistent organ failure rates did not differ significantly (34% vs. 51%, P=0.17), but hospital stay was shorter in patients with PPN (15 vs. 20 d, P=0.05). Limited PPN required no intervention and had similar persistent organ failure rates and hospitalization length with interstitial pancreatitis (both P≥0.12). Extensive PPN mainly developed in patients with persistent organ failure (60%) and rarely required drainage (2/15). CONCLUSIONS: PPN prevalence was lower than PN with a ratio of 1:4. PPN rarely required intervention. Utilizing the extent of involvement has the potential to classify PPN and PN with escalating clinical significance and guide management.

A population-based evaluation of readmissions after first hospitalization for acute pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the burden and pattern of pancreatitis-related readmissions after index hospitalization for acute pancreatitis (AP). METHODS: We identified all unique white or black Allegheny County residents with first hospital admission for AP from 1996 to 2005 using the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council data set. The final study population consisted of patients (n = 6010) who survived index admission and had follow-up data on readmissions. The etiology was determined using associated diagnosis codes. We analyzed pancreatitis-related readmissions until the third quarter of 2007 (median follow-up time, 39 months). RESULTS: The absolute risk and total burden of readmissions were 21.9% and 2947 for primary AP, respectively, 5.8% and 812 for primary chronic pancreatitis (CP), respectively, and 32.3% and 6612 for any pancreatitis diagnosis, respectively. Patients with alcohol etiology (etiology on index admission in 20.3%; responsible for 41.6%-50.4% readmissions) and subsequent diagnosis of CP (any CP diagnosis, 12.8%; responsible for 73% readmissions) accounted for a disproportionately higher fraction of readmissions. Readmission risk decreased with increasing age. A small fraction of patients accounted for most readmissions. CONCLUSIONS: Readmission after AP is influenced by demographics, etiology, and subsequent CP diagnosis. Future studies should focus on understanding the factors driving readmissions in high-risk individuals to develop strategies for reducing pancreatitis-related readmissions and health care costs.

The histopathology of PRSS1 hereditary pancreatitis.

Hereditary pancreatitis is an autosomal dominant disorder with 80% penetrance and variable expressivity. The vast majority of cases have been linked to mutations within the cationic trypsinogen gene, also referred to as serine protease 1 (PRSS1). Other than inheritance, PRSS1 pancreatitis has been considered clinically and pathologically indistinguishable from other etiologies of chronic pancreatitis. However, to date, the histologic findings of PRSS1 pancreatitis have not been well described. We, therefore, collected pancreatic specimens from 10 PRSS1 patients of various ages and examined their clinicopathologic features. Patients at the time of resection ranged in age from 9 to 66 years (median, 29 y), with a slight female predominance (60%). All patients reported a history of intermittent abdominal pain, with an age of onset ranging from infancy to 21 years of age. Examination of the gross and microscopic findings suggested a sequential pattern of changes with increasing patient age. In pediatric patients (n=4), although in most cases the pancreas was grossly normal, there was microscopic variation in lobular size and shape. Although the central portions of the pancreas displayed parenchymal loss accompanied by loose perilobular and interlobular fibrosis, the periphery was remarkable for replacement by mature adipose tissue. These changes were more developed in younger adults (n=2), in whom fatty replacement seemed to extend from the periphery to the central portions of the pancreas. With older patients (n=4), the pancreas showed marked atrophy and extensive replacement by mature adipose tissue with scattered islets of Langerhans and rare acinar epithelium concentrated near the main pancreatic duct. In summary, PRSS1 hereditary pancreatitis is characterized by progressive lipomatous atrophy of the pancreas.

Recurrent Acute Pancreatitis Secondary to Graft Pancreas Divisum in a Patient with Modified Multi-Visceral Transplant.

A patient with modified multivisceral transplant developed recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) 1 year after transplant and was found to have graft pancreas divisum with otherwise negative work-up for identifying the etiology of RAP. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was performed with minor papilla sphincterotomy and pancreatic duct stent placement of the graft pancreas. The patient's symptoms resolved following endotherapy for a follow-up period of 2 years. This is a unique case of graft pancreatitis secondary to pancreas divisum.