title: Symptomatic duodenal stenosis in chronic pancreatitis: a study of 17 cases in a medical-surgical series of 306 patients.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, presentation, cause, and location of symptomatic duodenal stenosis, and its relation to the natural course of chronic pancreatitis in a medical-surgical series of 306 patients (86% alcoholics). Mean follow-up of the series was 7.9 years. Symptomatic duodenal stenosis occurred in 17 patients (5.6%). Diagnosis was confirmed by a barium series. The cause of stenosis was compression by the pancreatic head in all patients, associated with a pancreatic abscess in two. No pseudocysts were found at the time of diagnosis. The location was the 1st and 2nd part of the duodenum or the entire duodenal loop in 4, 6, and 7 patients, respectively. Cholestasis due to common bile duct stenosis occurred in association with duodenal stenosis in 9 patients. Fifteen patients were treated surgically; 11 for gastroenterostomy, and 4 for duodenopancreatectomy. Two patients were not treated surgically. We conclude that during the course of chronic pancreatitis, symptomatic duodenal stenosis occurred in 5.6% of patients, mainly during the first years of the clinical course of chronic pancreatitis, was due to pancreatic head compression and not pseudocysts, usually involved the 2nd part of the duodenum and, was associated with biliary stenosis in half of the cases. Since these two complications require surgery, common bile duct stenosis should be investigated when symptomatic duodenal stenosis is diagnosed.
authors.affiliation: Service de Gastroentérologie, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lévy
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lesur
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Belghiti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fékété
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bernades
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000209:etiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003137:Common Bile Duct Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D004378:Duodenal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005763:Gastroenterostomy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery