The course of chronic pancreatitis is prolonged, and pain is the main symptom, which seriously affects the quality of life and work ability of patients. Its treatment is the most important and complex problem. This article systematically describes the theoretical basis, indications, efficacy, selection and balance of drugs, endoscopy, surgery and other measures related to pain treatment.
Objective To summarize the principle and application of functional MR imaging of pancreatic carcinoma and chronic mass-forming type pancreatitis. Methods Articles about diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), magnetic resonance spectrum imaging (MRSI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging of pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis were reviewed and analyzed. Results Functional MR imaging could reflected the differences in molecules diffusion, metabolism and tissue perfusion between pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis. Conclusion As a non-invasive protocol, functional MR imaging can provide useful information in differential diagnosis between chronic mass-forming type pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma.
ObjectiveTo investigate the differential diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis with mass of pancreatic head and pancreatic carcinoma, and choose the effective treatment of chronic pancreatitis with mass of pancreatic head. MethodsEighty cases of chronic pancreatitis with mass of pancreatic head from January 2008 to January 2014 in this hospital were retrospectively analyzed.The preoperative blood tumor markers, hepatobiliary and pancreatic color Doppler ultrasound, CT strengthen, MRI, MRCP, or other imaging studies were tested for all the patients. ResultsThere were 4 cases of long-term drinking or excessive drinking history in 8 cases of chronic pancreatitis with mass of pancreatic head.The past medical history included 5 patients with acute pancreatitis, 3 patients with chronic cholecystitis, 2 patients with cholecystolithiasis.Six patients had varying degree of jaundice and 5 patients had left upper abdominal pain.There were 4 patients with high blood sugar, 6 patients with serum hyperbilirubin, 5 patients with elevated CA19-9 and 2 patients with elevated CEA by serum assay.The imaging revealed that a mass was in the head of the pancreas.The standard pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed in 6 cases, duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection was performed in 2 cases.These 8 patients underwent the intraoperative fine needle aspiration cytological examination revealed the changes of chronic pancreatitis by postoperative pathology.The levels of CA19-9 and CEA on 1 week after operation were reduced to normal levels in patients with elevated CA19-9 and CEA alone or together.There was no case of serious complications such as postoperative pancreatic leakage and bile leakage.The intermittent vomiting appeared in 3 months after duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection, the upper gastrointestinal radiography showed the stenosis of duodenum, the contrac-tures of the duodenum, especial the descending duodenum, was found through reoperation, the symptom was relief after gastrojejunal anastomosis.The recurrence was not seen in all these 8 patients with follow-up of 1-6 years. ConclusionsThe jaundice and abdominal for the patients with pancreatic head mass of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer pain are the main symptoms, but their characteristics are different, the former is minor, volatility, and intermittent; the latter is sustained and progressively aggravated.Understanding of past medical history for the identification of both is some significances.CA19-9 and CEA as the identification of the pancreatic head mass in chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer is not meaningful.Patients with chronic pancreatitis of pancreatic mass are finished by multi-needle biopsy for pancreatic head mass, duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection is preferred.Patients with invasive pancreatic mass and peripheral vascular adhesion must undergo standard pancreaticoduodenectomy.
ObjectiveTo explore clinical efficacy of Frey procedures for chronic pancreatitis. MethodsThirty two patients with chronic pancreatitis who underwent Frey procedures in our hospital from June 2000 to October 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. The rate of perioperative complications, pain relief, and especially endocrine and exocrine function of pancreas in longterm followup (mean 43 months) were analyzed. ResultsNo death occurred in all patients. Fat liquefaction of wound was found in two patients and pancreatic fistula was found in one patient, who was cured by conventional treatment. So the rate of perioperative complications was 9.4%(3/32). After Frey procedures, pain disappeared completely in sixteen patients (50.0%), pain relieved in fourteen patients (43.8%) and two cases were ineffective. Therefore, the rate of pain relief in longterm follow-up was 93.8%. The hospitalization was (11±2) d. After surgical treatment the illness of five patients with diabetes mellitus did not aggravate while new onset of diabetes mellitus was observed in three cases. For three cases who suffered from indigestion and steatorrhea, symptomatic relief was found in one patient treated by oral administration of pancreatin and inefficacy was observed in two cases. But four patients with new steatorrhea were found after operation. ConclusionUnder the strict surgical indications, Frey procedure is a safe and effective surgical method for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis.
To evaluate the present status of treatment of chronic pancreatitis, 116 consecutive patients with chronic pancreatitis during the last decade (1986～1996) have been surveyed retrospectively. The clinical date has been analized statisticaly. Etiology: biliogenic 56 cases (48.3%), alcoholic 17 (14.6%), idiopathic 34 (29.3%) and other 9 cases (7.8%). Better result was achieved in surgical treatment group (81 cases) than in conservative group (35 cases), pain free: 65.5% vs 33.3%. The accumulated five-year survival rate was 56.3%, 92.2% and 78.1% in alcoholic, billiogenic and idiopathic type of chronic pancreatitis respectively. Morbidity and mortality of diarrhea and diabetes mellitus increased at followup. The authors conclude that the chronic pancreatitis patients associated with obstruction of biliopancreatic duct should undergo operation early and will ameliorate abdominal pain.
Objective To compare the surgical outcome of surgical treatment for chronic pancreatic head mass pancreatitis combined with pancreatic duct stones. Methods Clinical data of 19 patients diagnosed as chronic pancreatic head mass pancreatitis combined with pancreatic duct stones by pathology in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively and patients were divided into Beger group (n=9) and Frey group (n=10) according to operation type. Results The duration of operation, blood loss, morbidity, ratio of postoperative pancreatic fistula of grade B, ratio of abdominal cavity infection, ratio of gastric emptying dysfunction, total length of hospital stay, and total hospitalization cost in Frey group were less or lower than those in Beger group significantly (P ＜0.05). None of death or pancreatic fistula of grade C happened in both 2 groups, and abdominal pain and jaundice were subsided in all patients. There were 18 patients (94.7%) were followed up for (8.6±2.5) years ( 5-12 years), and just 1 patient of Frey group was not available for followup. The ratios of 5-year pain subsided of 2 groups were both 7/9, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups (P>0.05). During the follow-up period, there was no dead, relapsed, cancerate or reoperation, but 2 patients suffered from diabetes (1 patient of Frey group and 1 patient of Beger group), 2 patients suffered from steatorrhea (1 patient of Frey group and 1 patient of Beger group), and there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the ratios of diabetes and steatorrhea (P>0.05). Conclusion The effect is equal for Frey surgery and Beger surgery in treatment of chronic pancreatic head mass pancreatitis combined with pancreatic duct stones, but recover of patient who receives Frey surgery is better than that of Beger surgery.
Objective To explore the effect of Frey procedure on patients with chronic pancreatitis, and evaluate pain control as well as the quality of life (QOL) after Frey procedure. Methods The clinical data of 81 patients with chronic pancreatitis who underwent Frey procedure in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2010 to January 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Izbicki pain score and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ-C30) were used to assess pain and QOL respectively. Results The mean value of operative time were (252±70) minutes (180-430 minutes), the mean value of blood loss were (220±142) mL (100-550 mL), and the mean value of hospital stay were (14.1±4.9) days (8-36 days). After Frey procedure, delayed gastric emptying occurred in 4 patients, hemorrhage occurred in 1 patient, wound infection or fat liquefaction occurred in 6 patients, abdominal infection and pyoperitoneum occurred in 4 patients, and pancreatic fistula occurred in 3 patients. All of the patients were followed up for 4-60 months, and the median time were 28 months. During the follow up period, 11 patients developed diabetes and 10 patients developed steatorrhea, respectively. In addition, the pain related score, including frequency of pain attacks, visual analogue scale of pain, analgetic medication, inability to work, and total pain score, were significantly reduced after Frey procedure (P＜0.001). Moreover, all the functional scales of EORTC -QLQ-C30, except for cognitive function, were improved postoperatively (P ＜0.001). Regarding to the symptom scales, the score of fatigue, pain, loss of appetite, and loss of body weight were significantly lower after surgery (P＜0.050). The scores of QOL after surgery were higher than before surgery (P＜0.001). Conclusion Frey procedure results in good post-operative pain control and significant improvement in qol.
Objective To study the expression of thymidine phosporylase (TP) and the counts of lymph vessels in pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis tissues, and to explore their clinicopathologic significances and correlation in the course of pancreatic cancer. Methods SP immunohistochemical method was used to detetct the expression of TP and the locations of lymph vessels on the routinely paraffin-embedded sections of the specimens from 51 cases pancreatic cancer and 10 cases of chronic pancreatitis. Results The positive rate of TP and the counts of lymph vessels were significantly higher (P＜0.05 and P＜0.01 respectively) in pancreatic cancer 〔54.9%, (12.5±4.3)/HP〕 than those in chronic pancreatitis 〔20.0%，(5.2±2.4)/HP〕. The positive rate of TP and the counts of lymph vessels were significantly lower （P＜0.05, P＜0.01） in well-differentiated adenocarcinoma cases and cases without metastasis compared with poor-differentiated adenocarcinoma cases and cases with metastasis. The counts of lymph vessels were significantly higher in the positive cases of TP than those in the negative ones in pancreatic cancer 〔(13.8±3.4)/HP vs (10.9±3.2)/HP〕, P＜0.01.Conclusion The expression of TP and counts of lymph vessels might be important markers reflecting the progression, biological behaviors, metastatic status and prognosis of pancreatic cancer. TP might promote lympoangiogenesis in pancreatic cancer tissues.
Objective To investigate the magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） assessment and functional evaluation of chronic pancreatitis （CP）. Methods Literatures about MRI assessment of CP （especially the evaluation of pancreatic exocrine function with MRI） were reviewed. Results Some early parenchymal changes （pancreatic size，signal intensity of pancreas， and enhancement pattern） in the CP could be visualized by MRI；ductal changes could be visualized by MR cholangiopancreatography （MRCP）；and secretin-stimulated MRCP （combination of both morphologic and functional evaluation） not only improved the visualization of pancreatic duct and side branches，but also allowed evaluation of the pancreatic exocrine function noninvasively. Secretin-stimulated diffusion weighted imaging also could be used as a noninvasive method to assess pancreatic exocrine function. Conclusions Conventional MRI and （or） secretin-stimulated MRI can become valuable means in CP （especially early-stage CP）， with furnishing morphologic and functional information simultaneously. However，further research is needed to verify the diagnostic accuracy of these modalities.
Objective To compare the therapy effect between surgical therapy and endoscopic therapy for chronic pancreatitis (CP) combined with pancreatic ductal stones (PDS). Methods Clinical data of 113 cases of CP combined with PDS who got treatment in Southwest Hospital of The Third Military Medical University between January 2010 and December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively, 84 of them underwent surgery (surgery group), and 29 of them got endoscopic therapy (endoscopy group). Results The operative time, intraoperative bleeding volume, postoperative hospital stay, and days in hospital, mortality, incidence of complication (pancreatic fistula, delayed gastric emptying, diabetes mellitus, and acute pancreatitis) of the surgery group were all higher than those of endoscopy group (P ＜0.05), but the ratios of the two-stage surgery and recurrence of PDS were all lower (P ＜00.05). The differences between symptom remission rate and residual stones rate were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusions For cases of CP combined with PDS, the clinical therapy effect in symptom remission and residual stones between surgical and endoscopic therapy is similar, but compared with the endoscopic therapy, the operative time, intraoperative bleeding volume, postoperative hospital stay, and days in hospital of the surgical therapy are both longer. However, the ratios of the two-stage surgery and recurrence of PDS in the endoscopy group is significantly higher than those of surgery group.