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The 2016 HaPanEU/United European Gastroenterology guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations concerning key aspects of the medical and surgical management of chronic pancreatitis based on current available evidence. These recommendations should serve as a reference standard for existing management of the disease and as a guide for future clinical research.

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The Dutch Digestive Disease Foundation, Fonds NutsOhra, and the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development.

Background and aimThe International Cancer of the Pancreas Screening Consortium met in 2018 to update its consensus recommendations for the management of individuals with increased risk of pancreatic cancer based on family history or germline mutation status (high-risk individuals).MethodsA modified Delphi approach was employed to reach consensus among a multidisciplinary group of experts who voted on consensus statements. Consensus was considered reached if ≥75% agreed or disagreed.ResultsConsensus was reached on 55 statements. The main goals of surveillance (to identify high-grade dysplastic precursor lesions and T1N0M0 pancreatic cancer) remained unchanged. Experts agreed that for those with familial risk, surveillance should start no earlier than age 50 or 10 years earlier than the youngest relative with pancreatic cancer, but were split on whether to start at age 50 or 55. Germline ATM mutation carriers with one affected first-degree relative are now considered eligible for surveillance. Experts agreed that preferred surveillance tests are endoscopic ultrasound and MRI/magnetic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, but no consensus was reached on how to alternate these modalities. Annual surveillance is recommended in the absence of concerning lesions. Main areas of disagreement included if and how surveillance should be performed for hereditary pancreatitis, and the management of indeterminate lesions.ConclusionsPancreatic surveillance is recommended for selected high-risk individuals to detect early pancreatic cancer and its high-grade precursors, but should be performed in a research setting by multidisciplinary teams in centres with appropriate expertise. Until more evidence supporting these recommendations is available, the benefits, risks and costs of surveillance of pancreatic surveillance need additional evaluation.

BACKGROUNDPneumatic dilation and laparoscopic Heller's myotomy (LHM) are established treatments for idiopathic achalasia. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a less invasive therapy with promising early study results. METHODSIn a multicenter, randomized trial, we compared POEM with LHM plus Dor's fundoplica-tion in patients with symptomatic achalasia. The primary end point was clinical success, defined as an Eckardt symptom score of 3 or less (range, 0 to 12, with higher scores indi-cating more severe symptoms of achalasia) without the use of additional treatments, at the 2-year follow-up; a noninferiority margin of −12.5 percentage points was used in the pri-mary analysis. Secondary end points included adverse events, esophageal function, Gas-trointestinal Quality of Life Index score (range, 0 to 144, with higher scores indicating better function), and gastroesophageal reflux. RESULTSA total of 221 patients were randomly assigned to undergo either POEM (112 patients) or LHM plus Dor's fundoplication (109 patients). Clinical success at the 2-year follow-up was observed in 83.0% of patients in the POEM group and 81.7% of patients in the LHM group (difference, 1.4 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], −8.7 to 11.4; P= 0.007 for noninferiority). Serious adverse events occurred in 2.7% of patients in the POEM group and 7.3% of patients in the LHM group. Improvement in esophageal func-tion from baseline to 24 months, as assessed by measurement of the integrated relax-ation pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter, did not differ significantly between the treatment groups (difference, −0.75 mm Hg; 95% CI, −2.26 to 0.76), nor did improve-ment in the score on the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (difference, 0.14 points; 95% CI, −4.01 to 4.28). At 3 months, 57% of patients in the POEM group and 20% of patients in the LHM group had reflux esophagitis, as assessed by endoscopy; at 24 months, the corresponding percentages were 44% and 29%. CONCLUSIONSIn this randomized trial, POEM was noninferior to LHM plus Dor's fundoplication in controlling symptoms of achalasia at 2 years. Gastroesophageal reflux was more common among patients who underwent POEM than among those who underwent LHM. (Funded by the European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01601678.) AAchalasia is an esophageal motor disorder consisting of defective relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter and disturbed esophageal peristalsis. The clinical symptoms associated with the condition include dysphagia, regurgitation, chest pain, and weight loss. 1 Current treatment options include endo-scopic botulinum toxin injection, endoscopic pneumatic dilation, and surgical laparoscopic Heller's myotomy (LHM). 2 These therapies allevi-ate symptoms, mainly by reducing lower esopha-geal sphincter pressure and lowering the resis-tance to flow at the esophagogastric junction. On the basis of findings from randomized trials, 3,4 recent consensus statements and guidelines sup-port both pneumatic dilation an...

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Background and aims: Clarification of the position of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) regarding the interventional options available for treating patients with chronic pancreatitis. Methods: Systematic literature search to answer explicit key questions with levels of evidence serving to determine recommendation grades. The ESGE funded development of the Guideline. Summary of selected recommendations For treating painful uncomplicated chronic pancreatitis, the ESGE recommends extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy/endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography as the first-line interventional option. The clinical response should be evaluated at 6???8 weeks; if it appears unsatisfactory, the patient?s case should be discussed again in a multidisciplinary team. Surgical options should be considered, in particular in patients with a predicted poor outcome following endoscopic therapy (Recommendation grade B). For treating chronic pancreatitis associated with radiopaque stones???5?mm that obstruct the main pancreatic duct, the ESGE recommends extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy as a first step, combined or not with endoscopic extraction of stone fragments depending on the expertise of the center (Recommendation grade B). For treating chronic pancreatitis associated with a dominant stricture of the main pancreatic duct, the ESGE recommends inserting a single 10-Fr plastic stent, with stent exchange planned within 1 year (Recommendation grade C). In patients with ductal strictures persisting after 12 months of single plastic stenting, the ESGE recommends that available options (e.?g., endoscopic placement of multiple pancreatic stents, surgery) be discussed in a multidisciplinary team (Recommendation grade D). For treating uncomplicated chronic pancreatic pseudocysts that are within endoscopic reach, the ESGE recommends endoscopic drainage as a first-line therapy (Recommendation grade A). For treating chronic pancreatitis-related biliary strictures, the choice between endoscopic and surgical therapy should rely on local expertise, patient co-morbidities and expected patient compliance with repeat endoscopic procedures (Recommendation grade D). If endoscopy is elected, the ESGE recommends temporary placement of multiple, side-by-side, plastic biliary stents (Recommendation grade A).