RESUMO
The chronic pancreatitis is an inflammatory chronic affection of the pancreatic parenchyma characterized by a mutilating fibrosis with a progressive set up. The endoscopic treatment is actually considered as the first-line treatment and can sometimes be complementary to surgery. To determine the epidemiological, clinical, para-clinical and therapeutic characteristics during chronic pancreatitis. a retrospective study including patients having a chronic pancreatitis hospitalized in the gastroenterology department of Habib Thameur hospital between 2002 and 2008 was performed. Sixteen patients were included in this study [mean age 43 years, sex ratio 7]. All the patients were symptomatic at the time of the diagnosis and the epigastric pain was the main symptom. A complication was noted at the time of diagnosis in 12 patients: endocrine and exocrine pancreatic failure was noted in respectively 5 and 3 patients, while other complications were less frequent: acute pancreatitis [2 patients], cholestatic jaundice [2 patients] and pancreatic pseudo-cyst [2 patients]. The endoscopic treatment was performed in 62% of the patients with success of 63%. The surgical treatment was indicated in 37% of the cases. Mean follow up was 16 months. Survival rate was 93% at one year. One patient died because of hypoglycemia. No pancreatic neoplasia was noted in our study. In chronic pancreatitis, the contribution of endoscopic treatment is considerable but not without a certain risk. Therefore, collaboration between surgeons and endoscopists is needed and the best treatment should be considered individually