An operation is described that is useful in the management of patients with chronic pancreatitis and its complications. The operation features duodenal-preserving resection of the head of the pancreas combined with longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy of the body and tail of the pancreas. The operation has application to patients with pain or complications of chronic pancreatitis with dilated ducts in the body and tail of the pancreas who have small strictured ducts and/or small pseudocysts or ducts impacted with calculi in a markedly enlarged fibrotic pancreatic head. It also has application to patients with chronic pancreatitis complicated by common duct obstruction from small pseudocysts, fibrosis, or inflammation in the head of the pancreas. With this procedure, the common duct can often be freed up from the structures compressing it within the substance of the pancreas doing away with the necessity of a separate biliary bypass. The operation also has application to patients with a previous longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy who have recurrent or persistent pain associated with small strictured ducts in an enlarged fibrotic pancreatic head with or without common bile duct obstruction. Key Words: Chronic pancreatitis-Longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy-Pancreaticoduodenectomy-Pylorus preserving resection of pancreatic head-Warren denervation procedure.The ideal operation for the patient with chronic pancreatitis should have a low mortality and morbidity, be easy to perform, provide pain relief, rectify the structural abnormalities such as common duct obstruction, and not markedly augment exocrine or endocrine insufficiency.Our report describes a new operation that has application to patients with chronic pancreatitis having pain, a multiply strictured main pancreatic duct, a duct markedly impacted with calculi in a markedly enlarged fibrotic pancreatic head and uncinate process often associated with small pseudocysts, and a dilated obstructed main pancreatic Manuscript duct in the body and tail of the pancreas. The operation is also useful in patients who, in addition to a markedly enlarged fibrotic head of the pancreas, may have common duct or duodenal obstruction or small pseudocysts often unconnected to the main pancreatic duct. In our experience, about 40-50% of the patients with chronic pancreatitis requiring operation fulfill these criteria.For patients who have previously had a longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy and who were not relieved of pain or developed recurrent pain because of an enlarged fibrotic pancreatic head, the procedure is easily adapted. The proximal attachment of the Roux-en-y limb to the head of the pancreas is detached and the head of the pancreas and uncinate cored out. The Roux-en-y limb is then re-attached to the rim of the pancreas along the inner aspect of the duodenal cuff.The principal features of the operation are as 701

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OperationLocal resection of the head of the pancreas combined with longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy of the body and tail of the pancreas (LR-LPJ) was designed to improve decompression of the head of the pancreas, which often was not drained well by standard longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy. This was achieved by excising the head of the pancreas overlying the ducts of Wirsung and Santorini, and duct to the uncinate, along with their tributary ducts. Patient MaterialThe operation has been performed on 50 patients. There were five late deaths among the 50 patients; two at 6 months, and one each at 24, 26, and 91 months. Eighty percent of the patients were alcoholics, 50% had pseudocysts, and 80% had calcification. AssessmentPain was assessed on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most severe. Narcotic intake was considered minimal-Vicodin equivalent (hydrocodone bitartate, 5 mg, acetaminophen, 500 mg; Vicodin, Knoll Pharmaceuticals, Whippany, NJ) once or twice/month; moderate-Vicodin weekly, daily; and major-meperidine hydrochloride (Demerol, Winthrop Pharmaceuticals, New York, NY) weekly or daily. ResultsPain relief in 47 patients was excellent (74.5%), improved in 12.75%, and unimproved in 12.75%. Endocrine status in 45 patients was as follows: 69% were not diabetic, and 20% were diabetic preoperatively and postoperatively. Postoperatively, 1 1% had progression of their diabetes. Exocrine function was not worsened and may have been improved in some patients. Sixty-four percent of 39 patients gained an average of 15.3 pounds. Fifty-nine percent of patients were not working preoperatively or postoperatively. ConclusionsThe LR-LPJ provides good pain relief with a modest increase in endocrine and exocrine insufficiency and a significant increase in weight. Even when relieved of pain, patients seldom return to the work force. 492

The incidence rate of acute pancreatitis rose for the period between 1994 and 2001. However, there was no reduction in the 14- or 91-day case-fatality rate. Further research is needed to explain both the rise in the incidence rate of pancreatitis and the absence of any improvement in the early case-fatality rate.

Of one hundred and forty-nine patients (101 male and 48 female) 4-67 years of age, 117 were alcoholics and underwent pancreatectomy because of episodic or continuous abdominal pain or complications or chronic pancreatitis. Nineteen patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy, seventy-seven 80-95% distal resection, anf fifty-three 40-80% distal pancreatic resection. There were 3 operative death and 30 late deaths 6 months to 11 years post pancreatectomy. Twenty-one patients were lost to followup, 1 to 11 years post pancreatectomy. Ninety-five patients are known to be alive, 4 of whom are institutionalized. Indications for pancreatectomy in addition to abdominal pain include recurrent or multiple pseudocysts, failure to relieve pain after decompression of a pseudocyst, pseudoaneurysm of the visceral arteries associated with a pseudocyst, recurrent attacks of pancreatitis unrelived by non-resective operations, duodenal stenosis and left side portal hypertension. The choice between pancreaticoduodenectomy or distal resection of 40-80% or 80-95% of the pancreas should be based on the principle site of inflammation whether proximal or distal in the gland, the size of the common bile duct, the ability to rule out carcinoma, and the anticipated deficits in exocrine and endocrine function. The risk of diabetes is very significant after 80-95% distal resection and of steatorrhea after pancreaticoduodenectomy. When the disease process can be encompassed by 40-80% distal pancreatectomy this is the procedure of choice.

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In patients with chronic pancreatitis, common bile duct obstruction is reported in 3.2-45.6% of patients; however, only 5-10% of all patients with chronic pancreatitis require operative decompression of the bile duct. The cause of the intrapancreatic stricture of the common bile duct may be either a fibrotic inflammatory restriction, or compression by a pseudocyst. Obstruction of the duodenum is much less common than common bile duct obstruction in chronic pancreatitis occurring in less than 1-2% of patients with chronic pancreatitis. Colonic obstruction secondary to pancreatitis is very infrequent. The intrapancreatic strictures of chronic pancreatitis are characteristically smooth and tapering on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), but in some patients, they may have a sharp cut-off and closely resemble the appearance of carcinoma of the pancreas invading the bile duct. The natural history of these intrapancreatic strictures is variable. They may progress and be associated with cholangitis, biliary cirrhosis, common duct stones, or may remain stable for years or regress. Prior pancreaticojejunostomy is not protective against the development of intrapancreatic biliary strictures which may follow in 5-30% of patients, with most authors reporting an incidence of less than 10%. Evaluation of alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, the presence of jaundice, or the appearance of an intrapancreatic stricture on ERCP is not predictive of whether cholangitis or biliary cirrhosis may or may not develop. The incidence of cholangitis and biliary cirrhosis in patients with intrapancreatic stricture is 9.4% and 7.3%, respectively. Laennec's cirrhosis occurs in a similar number of patients. Operation is indicated in patients with intrapancreatic strictures of the common bile duct in association with chronic pancreatitis in patients developing cholangitis, biliary cirrhosis, common duct stones, progression of the stricture, persistent high elevations of alkaline phosphatase and/or bilirubin for over a month or inability to rule out cancer of the pancreas or periampullary region. The operation of choice is choledochoduodenostomy or Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy to bypass the obstructed intrapancreatic portion of the common bile duct. Persistent duodenal obstruction for over 3 or 4 weeks is an indication for gastrojejunostomy. Pain is not a feature of common bile duct obstruction in the absence of cholangitis. In the presence of pain associated with chronic pancreatitis, longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy is the operation of choice combined with Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy. Some of the newer operations, e.g., the Beger and Frey procedures, may make the necessity of a separate operation for biliary decompression superfluous.

In this age of health care decisions influenced by outcome evaluations, ASCOT's more precise description of anatomic injury and its improved calibration with actual outcomes argue for its adoption as the standard method for outcome prediction.