Multiple stenting of refractory pancreatic duct strictures in severe chronic pancreatitis: long-term results

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Dominant pancreatic duct strictures located in the head of the pancreas in patients with severe chronic pancreatitis are often managed by endoscopic placement of a single plastic stent. Patients with refractory strictures after prolonged stenting require repeated stent replacement or surgical pancreaticojejunostomy. Placement of multiple plastic stents has proved effective in managing postoperative biliary strictures. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility, efficacy, and long-term results of multiple stenting of refractory pancreatic strictures in severe chronic pancreatitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 19 patients with severe chronic pancreatitis (16 men, three women; mean age 45 years) and with a single pancreatic stent through a refractory dominant stricture in the pancreatic head underwent the following protocol: (i) removal of the single pancreatic stent; (ii) balloon dilation of the stricture; (iii) insertion of the maximum number of stents allowed by the stricture tightness and the pancreatic duct diameter; and (iv) removal of stents after 6 to 12 months. RESULTS: The median number of stents placed through the major or minor papilla was 3, with diameters ranging from 8.5 to 11.5 Fr and length from 4 to 7 cm. Only one patient (5.5 %) had persistent stricture after multiple stenting. During a mean follow-up of 38 months after removal, 84 % of patients were asymptomatic, and 10.5 % had symptomatic stricture recurrence. No major complications were recorded. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic multiple stenting of dominant pancreatic duct strictures in chronic pancreatitis is a feasible and safe technique. Multiple pancreatic stenting is promising in obtaining persistent stricture dilation on long-term follow-up in the setting of severe chronic pancreatitis.     

致痫性局灶性皮质发育不良29例影像学特征、手术疗效和中期随访结果分析

目的:探索致痫性局灶性皮质发育不良(FCD)的影像学特征和手术疗效。方法:自2005年8月至2008年11月行手术切除并有完整随访资料的FCD患者29例,其中在全麻唤醒麻醉下手术12例,导航指引下手术5例,8例合并海马硬化者行前颞叶切除术。随访患者并分析其临床表现、影像学特征及手术疗效。结果:术中病理检查显示FCD患者Ⅰa型2例,Ⅰb型3例,Ⅱa型11例,Ⅱb型13例。术后平均随访52个月,结果显示癫痫控制情况:Eagel分级Ⅰ级72.4%(21/29),EagelⅡ级20.7%(6/29),EagelⅢ级6.9%(2/29)。术后偏瘫3例,在3～6个月完全恢复2例,明显改善1例;轻度运动性失语1例,6周逐渐恢复。无手术死亡病例。结论:磁共振检查是FCD术前诊断的有效手段。脑电监测下致痫性FCD的完全切除是获得满意疗效的前提。     

Endoscopic treatment of chronic pancreatitis: a multicenter study of 1000 patients with long-term follow-up

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Endoscopic ductal decompression therapy has become an established method of treating patients with painful obstructive chronic pancreatitis. Smaller series, mostly with a medium-term follow-up period, have reported encouraging results. The present analysis presents long-term follow-up data from a large multicenter patient cohort. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with painful chronic pancreatitis and with ductal obstruction due to either strictures and/or stones treated endoscopically at eight different centers underwent follow-up after 2 - 12 years (mean 4.9 years). The patients' clinical data, the rate of technical success, and complications were recorded from the charts. Follow-up data were prospectively obtained using structured questionnaires; the main parameter for evaluating treatment success was a significant reduction in pain (no pain or only weak pain). RESULTS: Follow-up data were obtained from 1018 of 1211 patients treated (84%) with mainly strictures (47%), stones (18%), or strictures plus stones (32%). At the long-term follow-up, 60% of the patients had their endotherapy completed, 16% were still receiving some form of endoscopic treatment, and 24% had undergone surgery. The long-term success of endotherapy was 86% in the entire group, but only 65% in an intention-to-treat analysis. There were no significant differences between the patient groups with regard to either strictures, stones, or both. Pancreatic function was not positively affected by endoscopic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic ductal decompression therapy offers relief of pain in two-thirds of the patients when it is used as the only form of treatment. One-quarter of the patients have to undergo surgery.     

Long-term outcome after pancreatic stenting in severe chronic pancreatitis

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Although it has been proved that pancreatic stenting is effective in the symptomatic management of severe chronic pancreatitis, long-term outcomes after stent removal have not been fully evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 100 patients (75 men, 25 women; median age 49) with severe chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic duct strictures were successfully treated for pancreatic pain using polyethylene pancreatic stents and were followed up for at least 1 year after stent removal. The stents were exchanged "on demand" (in cases of recurrence of pain) and a definitive stent removal was attempted on the basis of clinical and endoscopic findings. Clinical variables were retrospectively assessed as potential predictors of re-stenting. RESULTS: The etiology of the chronic pancreatitis was alcoholic (77 %), idiopathic (18 %), or hereditary (5 %). Patients were followed up for a median period of 69 months (range 14 - 163 months) after study entry, including a median period of 27 months (range 12 - 126 months) after stent removal. The median duration of pancreatic stenting before stent removal was 23 months (range 2 - 134 months). After attempted definitive stent removal, 30 patients (30 %) required re-stenting within the first year of follow-up, at a median time of 5.5 months after stent removal (range 1 - 12 months), while in 70 patients (70 %) pain control remained adequate during that period. By the end of the follow-up period a total of 38 patients had required re-stenting and four ultimately underwent pancreaticojejunostomy. Pancreas divisum was the only factor significantly associated with a higher risk of re-stenting (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The majority (70 %) of patients with severe chronic pancreatitis who respond to pancreatic stenting maintain this response after definitive stent removal. However, a significantly higher re-stenting rate was observed in patients with chronic pancreatitis and pancreas divisum.     

急性重型胰腺炎患者血液流变性的变化及其相互关系

目的：探讨血液流变性变化在急性重型胰腺炎（ＳＡＰ）微循环障碍中的作用,并分析ＳＡＰ血液流变性各参数间的相互关系。方法：采用ＦＡＳＣＯ－９４全自动粘度快速仪测定血液流变性各参数。结果：入院２４小时内ＳＡＰ患者血液流变性各参数显著增高;而急性轻型胰腺炎（ＭＡＰ）患者与健康对照（Ｎ）组比较无明显差异。ＳＡＰ患者高切变率下全血粘度与血细胞比容和红细胞变形指数呈显著正相关,低切变率下全血粘度与血细胞比容、红     

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in the treatment of chronic mesenteric ischemia: results and 3 years of follow-up in 23 patients

Background: We evaluated the clinical efficacy of visceral angioplasty in the treatment of chronic mesenteric ischemia. Methods: Over a 14-year period, we performed percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of 41 occlusive diseases of visceral arteries founded by angiography in 23 patients with chronic mesenteric ischemia. All but one (fibrodysplasic) stenoses were atherosclerotic, and 13 were localized in the ostial tract. Clinical follow-up was evaluated at 2, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months (mean follow-up = 27 months). Results: Angioplasty demonstrated a residual stenosis of 30% or less in 37 procedures, for a technical success rate of 90%. Seventeen of 20 patients had symptom remission after the first treatment, for a short-term clinical success of 77%; two patients needed a reangioplasty after 2 months, and one was referred for aortomesenteric bypass. During a mean follow-up of 27 months (range = 2–36), the clinical success was 88%; 2/15 patients underwent successful repeat angioplasty at 24 and 36 months, for a 100% secondary long-term clinical success. Only two minor complications were encountered. Conclusion: Although surgical results are undoubtedly positive, visceral angioplasty is justified in relation to both the high surgical mortality and the low incidence of complications arising from visceral angioplasty. Received: 31 October 1996/Accepted after revision: 2 April 1997     

Relative adrenal insufficiency in patients with severe acute pancreatitis

Objective Inadequate cortisol levels and adrenal dysfunction may play a role in the pathophysiology of severe acute pancreatitis. This study aimed to analyse the incidence of relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI) in these patients, to identify factors associated with RAI and to describe how adrenal responsiveness affects outcome. Design Prospective observational multicenter study. Patients Twenty-five patients with severe acute pancreatitis. Interventions A short Synacthen test (SST) was performed within 5 days after admission to the hospital. The incidence of RAI, defined as an increment after SST of less than 9 μg/dl was the primary endpoint of the study. Serum cortisol was measured at baseline and at 30 and 60 min after administration of 250 μg adrenocorticotropic hormone. Measurements and results Median baseline cortisol level was 26.6 μg/dl, and increased to 43.2 μg/dl and 48.8 μg/dl after 30 min and 60 min respectively. RAI was found in 16% of all patients and in 27% of patients with organ dysfunction. Patients with RAI were more severely ill and had higher SOFA scores from days 4 to 7 after admission. All patients with RAI developed pancreatic necrosis, and all of them needed surgical intervention. Twenty-eight-day mortality was significantly higher in patients with RAI (75% vs. 5%, p = 0.007). Patients who died had a lower increment in cortisol levels after the SST than patients who survived. Conclusion RAI is frequent in patients with severe acute pancreatitis and organ dysfunction. It occurs in patients with more severe pancreatitis and is associated with increased mortality. An abstract of this work was presented at the 27th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (ISICEM) in Brussels, March 2007.     

Endoscopic sphincterotomy: long-term results in 408 patients with complete follow-up

Endoscopic sphincterotomy was performed in 469 patients for the treatment of biliary calculi, with procedure-related morbidity of 6.3% and mortality of 0.4%. Long-term follow-up to 10.5 years (mean 3.7 years) was completed in all of 408 patients at least six months postsphincterotomy. Recurrent stones developed in 21 patients (5.8%) after a mean of 2.4 years (range 4 months to 7 years); in 6 after 3 years. Eight patients reformed stones more than twice at a mean interval of 1.8 years (range, 5 months to 3.5 years). In the 122 patients with gallbladders in situ, acute cholecystitis occurred in 5 of 31 with gallstones (16%), but in none of the 91 without gallstones. In the 237 patients who had undergone cholecystectomy, 4 late deaths occurred secondary to recurrent choledocholithiasis and cholangitis. In the 49 patients with primary intrahepatic stones, 3 late deaths occurred secondary to hepatic abscess. These results suggest that (a) endoscopic sphincterotomy is a very effective procedure in long-term follow-up, (b) cholangiography should be done at the appearance of slight abdominal symptoms even after 3 years, (c) patients who have ever reformed stones should undergo cholangiography yearly for at least 4 years, and (d) cholecystectomy is recommended for patients with gallbladders after sphincterotomy, only if gallstones are present.