Journal of the Pancreas最新文献

The objective of this review is to summarize the current state of the art of the management of necrotizing pancreatitis, and to clarify some confusing points regarding the terminology and diagnosis of necrotizing pancreatitis, as these points are essential for management decisions and communication between providers and within the literature. Acute pancreatitis varies widely in its clinical presentation. Despite the publication of the Atlanta guidelines, misuse of pancreatitis terminology continues in the literature and in clinical practice, especially regarding the local complications associated with severe acute pancreatitis. Necrotizing pancreatitis is a manifestation of severe acute pancreatitis associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis is aided by pancreas-protocol computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, ideally 72 h after onset of symptoms to achieve the most accurate characterization of pancreatic necrosis. The extent of necrosis correlates well with the incidence of infected necrosis, organ failure, need for debridement, and morbidity and mortality. Having established the diagnosis of pancreatic necrosis, goals of appropriately aggressive resuscitation should be established and adhered to in a multidisciplinary approach, ideally at a high-volume pancreatic center. The role of antibiotics is determined by the presence of infected necrosis. Early enteral feeds improve outcomes compared with parenteral nutrition. Pancreatic necrosis is associated with a multitude of complications which can lead to long-term morbidity or mortality. Interventional therapy should be guided by available resources and the principle of a minimally invasive approach. When open debridement is necessary, it should be delayed at least 3-6 weeks to allow demarcation of necrotic from viable tissue.

Context: Late consequences of acute pancreatitis have received little attention. It is controversial whether the pancreas fully recovers after an episode of acute pancreatitis, especially in the presence of necrosis. Therefore, the presence of late pancreatic dysfunction following acute necrotizing pancreatitis is uncertain and there are controversies about how it may affect long-term quality of life.

Objectives: To evaluate pancreatic function and morphology, besides quality of life, in patients with prior acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Patients: Patients who were admitted to our hospital with acute necrotizing pancreatitis in a ten-year interval were identified and thirty-eight survivors were contacted to enroll in the study out of which sixteen patients were included.

Methods: Exocrine function was studied by qualitative fecal fat excretion. Endocrine function was evaluated by oral glucose tolerance test, HOMA-beta and C-peptide. Pancreatic morphology was examined by computed tomography. Quality of life was measured by 36-item short-form health survey. Tests were performed at least twelve months after the index episode of acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Results: The prevalence of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency was 6.2%. Endocrine dysfunction was observed in half the cases, and no association with the extension of necrosis was found. Morphological changes were frequent (62.5%) and more prevalent in those who faced extensive necrosis. Quality of life was considered good, and its impairment was found exclusively in mental health domain, markedly in patients who had alcoholic pancreatitis. There was no correlation between quality of life and prognostic indicators.

Conclusions: Exocrine function and quality of life were preserved in this group of patients. However, endocrine dysfunction and morphological abnormalities were frequent after acute necrotizing pancreatitis. These findings justify a long-term follow-up in order to initiate specific treatment promptly.

Context: Postoperative fistula formation is an important complication following pancreatic resections.

Objective: A large volume of literature without uniform conclusions is available regarding various controversies about postoperative pancreatic fistulae. The term postoperative pancreatic fistula includes fistula resulting from any surgery involving pancreas, most commonly pancreaticoduodenectomy and distal pancreatectomy. In this review, we have tried to present a comprehensive account of postoperative pancreatic fistula with particular emphasis on important controversies clouding the subject.

Methods: We performed MEDLINE literature search for relevant articles using the key words pancreas, pancreatic cancer, pancreatectomy, pancreatoduodenectomy, Whipple's operation, postoperative, complications, fistula, management and treatment in various combinations with the Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT.

Conclusions: Postoperative pancreatic fistula is a troublesome complication of pancreaticoduodenectomy. Although the risk factors for postoperative pancreatic fistula have been extensively described, none of the methods recommended for preventing postoperative pancreatic fistula have been conclusively proved to be effective. While endoscopic treatment and percutaneous treatment form important aspects of treatment of postoperative pancreatic fistula, surgery may be required for select cases.

Context: Undifferentiated (spindle cell) carcinomas of the pancreas are rare anaplastic variants of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with a frequency of 2% of pancreatic exocrine tumors. Their clinicopathological features are limited and obtained by few previously case reports. We report a case of undifferentiated pancreatic carcinoma with a rare focal osteochondroid differentiation.

Case report: A sixty-six-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for abdominal pain and nonspecific nausea for almost 40 days. Imaging studies revealed a well-defined cystic-solid mass with heterogeneous density involving the tail of the pancreas. We performed an en bloc distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy for radical excision, as well as regional lymphadenectomy. The resected specimen revealed a 4.0×5.0 cm exophytic clear-bordered neoplasm of the tail of the pancreas containing necrotic and calcified areas, without splenic invasion. The lymph node involvement was not detected (0/5) and the surgical margins were negative. Microscopy showed pleomorphism with giant cells, spindle-shaped cells with anaplasia, and osteochondroid differentiation. A diagnosis of undifferentiated (spindle cell) carcinoma of the pancreas with focal osteochondroid differentiation was made. The patient declined chemotherapy and extended lymphadenectomy. She suffered from liver and lymph nodes metastasis 9 months after surgery, and she subsequently died 4 months later due to high tumor burden.

Conclusions: Undifferentiated pancreatic carcinoma with osteochondroid differentiation is rare but associated with extremely poor prognosis. It should be included in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic mass lesions.