ABSTRACT
This long-term follow-up of 27 patients treated with conservative surgery for necrohemorrhagic pancreatitis (NHP) showed that an almost complete recovery of the exocrine function is achieved within 4 years after discharge, while about half of the patients presented still abnormal endocrine function. The morphological sequelae, pointed out by endoscopic retrograde pancreatography in almost 50% of the cases, remained unchanged during the follow-up period. Therefore, these data seem to exclude an evolution of NHP towards chronic pancreatitis.
Subject(s)
Hemorrhage/physiopathology , Pancreatitis/physiopathology , Acute Disease , Alcoholism/physiopathology , Ceruletide , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Gallstones/physiopathology , Glucose Tolerance Test , Humans , Male , Necrosis , Pancreas/diagnostic imaging , Pancreatic Function Tests , Pancreatitis/pathology , Pancreatitis/surgery , Postoperative Period , Radiography , SecretinABSTRACT
Since cholestasis is a common, although poorly recognized, complication of chronic pancreatitis, and bile acids seem to be a sensitive index of cholestasis, fasting and post-prandial s-cholic and s-chenodeoxycholic acids were determined by radioimmunoassay in 48 chronic alcoholic pancreatitis patients (CP) and 22 healthy controls (C). Patients were grouped as follows: chronic pancreatitis with and without cholestasis; chronic pancreatitis operated on or not. A statistically significant increase in both CA and CDCA was observed in CP with cholestasis vis-a-vis C. In the CP without cholestasis and with normal biliary tract the average CA and CDCA values were also higher than in C, even though the difference was not statistically significant. No difference was observed between patients submitted or not submitted to pancreojejunostomy. The CA/CDCA ratio was increased in all CP subgroups, even in the patients without cholestasis, with significant difference only for some samples. Thus an increase in serum bile acids can be detected.
