Pancreatic pseudocysts. A follow-up study.
From 1968 to 1978, 37 men and 14 women, with a median age of 43 years, were operated on for a pancreatic pseudocyst. Alcohol abuse was the dominating cause in 65% of the patients. Internal drainage (medium risk patients) was carried out in 76%, external drainage (high risk patients) in 12%, and pancreatic resection (low risk patients) in 12% of the patients. The hospital mortality rate was 14%. The patients who died were significantly older than those discharged from the hospital alive. At the time of follow-up (1--11 years, median: 4 years) after operation, a further 13% had died. Thirty per cent of the alcoholic and none of the nonalcoholic patients had severe pain at follow-up examination. Evaluated by their ability to work and pain, the late results were poorer for the alcoholics who continued drinking, better for alcoholics who had stopped drinking and best for nonalcoholics.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010181:Pancreatic Cyst / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality