Medical Management of Chronic Pancreatitis: What Can Physicians Do? / 대한췌담도학회지

ABSTRACT

Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by the progressive inflammation and irreversible fibrosis of pancreas causing pancreatic dysfunctions and various complications. The most common symptom is abdominal pain. In addition various complications such as pseudocyst, biliary or duodenal obstruction, pancreatic ascites, splenic vein thrombosis and pseudoaneurysm can develop according to the degree of inflammation or the progression of disease. So, management of chronic pancreatitis needs multidisciplinary approach in many cases. The treatment method can be divided into life style modifications, medications, endoscopic or radiological interventions and surgeries. In most cases, the specific treatments are recommended not only by the evidence-based guidelines but also by the experts' opinions due to the lack of randomized controlled trials with sufficient number of patients. Life style modifications and medication for the pain and the pancreatic exocrine insufficiency will be addressed in this section.