Lateral pancreaticojejunostomy for pain relief in chronic pancreatitis: analysis of effectiveness in 19 patients.
To assess the relief of pain provided by a side-to-side lateral pancreaticojejunostomy (LPJ), we analyzed 19 patients with chronic pancreatitis operated on from 1973 to 1983. Fourteen patients were chronic alcoholics; abdominal pain was the indication for the operation in most patients; one patient died postoperatively. The pain was relieved in all 18 survivors, from 12 to 72 months in 15; in three the pain has recurred, suggesting that LPJ is effective in ablating the pain in patients with chronic pancreatitis, provided the pancreatic duct measures more than 6 mm in diameter, the length of the LPJ is at least 6 cm, and patients abstain from alcohol ingestion. CT adequately assesses pancreatic duct dilatation. One fourth of the patients also required choledochoduodenostomy to relieve biliary obstruction caused by the chronic pancreatitis.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007583:Jejunum / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D010185:Pancreatic Fistula / Q000209:etiology; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011859:Radiography