There is a need for the national publications to assimilate the concepts and criteria presented by the ISGFP(2) and ISGPS(23,25) to enable comparison of the results obtained with surgical treatment of pancreatic disorders, in the Brazilian context. Who knows, therefore, whether the great advanced seen in the last 40 years in terms of the reduction in mortality rates associated with pancreatic resections may also occur with the persistently high levels of postoperative complications.

We conclude that an adequate concepts definition discerning an anamnese and narrow correlation of the clinical characteristics of the lesions promote a minor disagreements number among clinical diagnosis and Anatomic-pathological.

Serous cystadenoma of the pancreas is a common cystic neoplasm typically of benign evolution that rarely communicates with the pancreatic ductal system. We present several images originating from two cases of serous cystadenoma of the pancreas which led to compression and dilatation of Wirsung's duct. These cases suggest that when the diagnosis of pancreatic microcystic lesion is detected, associated, or not associated with a central fibrous scar and a low carcinoembryonic antigen level in the aspirated fluid, the presence of dilatation of Wirsung's duct does not exclude the diagnosis of serous pancreatic cystadenoma.

BACKGROUND: New recommendations for the management of patients with acute pancreatitis were set after the Atlanta Classification was revised in 2012. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present systematic review is to assess whether these recommendations have already been accepted and implemented in daily medical practices. METHODS: A systematic literature review was carried out in studies conducted with humans and published in English and Portuguese language from 10/25/2012 to 11/30/2018. The search was conducted in databases such as PubMed/Medline, Cochrane and SciELO, based on the following descriptors/Boolean operator: “Acute pancreatitis” AND “Atlanta”. Only Randomized Clinical Trials comprising some recommendations released after the revised Atlanta Classification in 2012 were included in the study. RESULTS: Eighty-nine studies were selected and considered valid after inclusion, exclusion and qualitative evaluation criteria application. These studies were stratified as to whether, or not, they applied the recommendations suggested after the Atlanta Classification revision. Based on the results, 68.5% of the studies applied the recommendations, with emphasis on the application of severity classification (mild, moderately severe, severe); 16.4% of them were North-American and 14.7% were Chinese. The remaining 31.5% just focused on comparing or validating the severity classification. CONCLUSION: Few studies have disclosed any form of acceptance or practice of these recommendations, despite the US and Chinese efforts. The lack of incorporation of these recommendations didn’t enable harnessing the benefits of their application in the clinical practice (particularly the improvement of the communication among health professionals and directly association with the worst prognoses); thus, it is necessary mobilizing the international medical community in order to change this scenario.

BACKGROUND: Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is a premalignant condition that raises controversy among general practitioners and specialists, especially regarding its diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up protocols. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aims to present the particularities and to clarify controversies related to the diagnosis, treatment and surveillance of BE. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane, and SciELO based on articles published in the last 10 years. PRISMA guidelines were followed and the search was made using MeSH and non-MeSH terms “Barrett” and “diagnosis or treatment or therapy or surveillance”. We searched for complete randomized controlled clinical trials or Phase IV studies, carried out with individuals over 18 years old. RESULTS: A total of 42 randomized controlled trials were selected after applying all inclusion and exclusion criteria. A growing trend of alternative and safer techniques to traditional upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were identified, which could improve the detection of BE and patient acceptance. The use of chromoendoscopy-guided biopsy protocols significantly reduced the number of biopsies required to maintain similar BE detection rates. Furthermore, the value of BE chemoprophylaxis with esomeprazole and acetylsalicylic acid was relevant, as well as the establishment of protocols for the follow-up and endoscopic surveillance of patients with BE based predominantly on the presence and degree of dysplasia, as well as on the length of the follow-up affected by BE. CONCLUSION: Although further studies regarding the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of BE are warranted, in light of the best evidence presented in the last decade, there is a trend towards electronic chromoendoscopy-guided biopsies for the diagnosis of BE, while treatment should encompass endoscopic techniques such as radiofrequency ablation. Risks of ablative endoscopic methods should be weighted against those of resective surgery. It is also important to consider lifetime endoscopic follow-up for both short and long term BE patients, with consideration to limitations imposed by a range of comorbidities. Unfortunately, there are no randomized controlled trials that have evaluated which is the best recommendation for BE follow-up and endoscopic surveillance (>1 cm) protocols, however, based on current International Guidelines, it is recommended esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) every 5 years in BE without dysplasia with 1 up to 3 cm of extension; every 3 years in BE without dysplasia with >3 up to 10 cm of extension, every 6 to 12 months in BE with low grade dysplasia and, finally, EGD every 3 months after ablative endoscopic therapy in cases of BE with high grade dysplasia.

This series of cases suggested that clinical fluctuating jaundice is a uncommon signal in adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater.

A 64-year-old white woman presented with cholestatic jaundice, weight loss and a solid lesion in the pancreas head. At multislice computed tomography, a superior mesenteric vein (SMV) and one of it tributaries showed signs of tumor infiltration. At surgery, a venous occlusion test applied to the infiltrated tributary of the SMV showed immediate venous congestion in two-thirds of the distal small intestine. No reconstruction attempt was made due to the small size of the vessel. A biliodigestive anastomosis and lymph node biopsy was performed. The herein assessed case report suggests that the ileal tributary occlusion test applied to patients presenting pancreatic adenocarcinoma, with invasion of the tributaries of the SMV, may be effective in contraindicating resection procedures.

Objective: to describe the implications of the diagnosis and treatment of non-inflammatory pancreatic cysts in a series of patients. Methods: we included patients with pancreatic cysts ≥1.0 cm, excluding those with a presumptive diagnosis of a pseudocyst. Imaging tests, echoendoscopy, and histopathology determined the diagnosis of the type of cyst. We applied the guidelines of the International Association of Pancreatology, with some modifications, in patients with mucinous or indeterminate lesions. Results: 97 adult patients participated in the study. A cystic neoplasm of the pancreas was diagnosed in 82.5% of cases. Diagnosis was mainly made by magnetic resonance (46% of cases). The two most common diagnoses were intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (43.3%) and serous cystadenoma (26%). Twenty-nine patients underwent surgery (33.3%). The most common surgical procedure was distal pancreatectomy associated with splenectomy in 19 cases (65.5%). Among the operated patients, 11 were diagnosed with cancer. None of the followed, non-operated patients had a diagnosis of cancer. Conclusions: magnetic resonance showed good accuracy, particularly in the diagnosis of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. The guidelines of the International Association of Pancreatology, as applied in this study, showed a negative predictive value for cancer of 100%. A development of better diagnostic tests can reduce the number of unnecessary operations.