In 128 patients with severe chronic pancreatitis and inflammatory enlargement of the head of the pancreas, a duodenum-preserving resection of the pancreatic head was performed. Median post-operative hospitalization was 15.5 days, and the frequency of reoperation was 5.5%. One patient died during the early post-operative phase, and hospital mortality amounted to 0.8%. After a median follow-up period of 3.6 years (range of 7 months to 16 years), six of 127 patients died (late mortality of 4.7%). Seventy-seven per cent of the patients were completely free of abdominal pain, 67% returned to their former occupations. During the late follow-up period, the glucose metabolism was unchanged in 80.7% of the patients, in 13.7% it deteriorated, and in 5.5% it improved permanently; 80% of the patients experienced a marked increase in weight averaging 8.7 kg. Compared with the Whipple procedure, the duodenum-preserving resection of the head of the pancreas spares the patient with chronic pancreatitis a gastrectomy, duodenectomy, and resection of the extrahepatic biliary ducts. In terms of a subtotal resection, the limited operative intervention at the head of the pancreas and the preservation of the duodenum explain the low early and late postoperative morbidity and mortality.

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Background. Carcinoid tumors of the gastrointestinal tract are most common localized in the appendix, followed by the small intestine, the rectum, and the stomach. The localization of these tumors at the ampulla of Vater is extremely seldom. Methods. In the present study the authors describe two patients with carcinoid tumors of the ampulla Vater and review 71 previously published cases. Results. Most patients presented with jaundice, but without carcinoid syndrome. Because the tumor grows submucosally, preoperative diagnosis was correct only in 15%. Most tumors were around 2 cm in size. Metastasis to lymph nodes and/or liver was present in 45%. Standard treatment is Whipple resection or local excision in small tumors. Conclusions. Carcinoid tumors of the ampulla of Vater are an extremely rare clinical entity. Generally, the prognosis is good with a 5‐year survival period of 90%.

In high-risk patients with necrotising pancreatitis, minimally invasive surgical and endoscopic necrosectomy are associated with reduced death rates compared with open necrosectomy.

This study focuses on patients with severe acute pancreatitis complicated by organ failure within the initial phase of the disease. Data of 158 patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) admitted to hospital within 72 hours after onset of symptoms were prospectively documented and analyzed for the occurrence of early severe acute pancreatitis (ESAP). ESAP was defined as presence of organ failure (OF) at admission. Forty-seven (30%) patients had ESAP, compared with 111 patients without OF (SAP group). In a multivariate analysis, the main factor predisposing to ESAP was the presence of extended pancreatic necrosis (odds ratio, 3.8), whereas biliary pancreatitis was associated with a slightly lower risk compared with alcoholic pancreatitis (odds ratio, 0.34). Compared with SAP, patients with ESAP more frequently developed intractable organ failure, which posed the indication for surgical treatment. Surgical necrosectomy due to progressive OF had to be performed in 89% of the ESAP patients and in 60% of the SAP patients. The incidence of infected pancreatic necrosis did not differ between both groups (23 vs. 21%). Mortality was significantly higher in ESAP (42 vs. 14%; p = 0.0003). ESAP is characterized by the presence of extended pancreatic necrosis and a complicated clinical course. Intractable organ failure is a frequent finding. Given the poor prognosis of ESAP, these patients should be treated in specialized intensive care units.

Monitoring of PCT allows early and reliable assessment of clinically relevant pancreatic infections and overall prognosis in AP. This single test parameter significantly contributes to an improved stratification of patients at risk to develop major complications.

In 141 patients with chronic pancreatitis and an inflammatory enlargement of the head of the pancreas, a duodenum-preserving resection of the head of the pancreas was performed within a 16-year period. The hospital mortality was 0.7%; the late mortality was 5%. Seventy-seven percent of the patients were completely free of abdominal pain; 67% returned to their former occupation. After a follow-up period of 3.6 years, glucose metabolism was unchanged in 81.7% of the patients, in 10.1% it deteriorated, and in 8.3% it improved permanently. In patients with severe chronic pancreatitis and an inflammatory mass in the head of the pancreas, a duodenum-preserving resection of the head of the pancreas is an alternative procedure to the Whipple operation. The surgical technique of the duodenum-preserving resection includes 2 major steps: first, subtotal resection of the head of the pancreas conserving the duodenum; second, restitution of the exocrine pancreatic secretory flow from the body and tail of the pancreas by using the first jejunal loop as an interposition. In comparison to the Whipple procedure, the duodenum-preserving resection of the head of the pancreas in chronic pancreatitis spares the patient a gastric resection, a duodenectomy, and a common bile duct resection. With respect to long-lasting pain relief and preservation of the endocrine function of the pancreas, duodenum-preserving resection of the head is a highly effective surgical procedure with a low early and late morbidity and mortality due to the limited surgical resection.

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