title: Duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection leads to relief of common bile duct stenosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Common bile duct stenosis (CBDS) is one of the most frequent complications in chronic pancreatitis with inflammatory mass in the head of the pancreas (IMH).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 474 patients who underwent duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR) between 1982 and 1998 were reevaluated; 219 patients (46%) with a mean duration of the disease of 45 months had a radiologically proven CBDS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One patient (0.5%) died of septic complications in the early postoperative course, 15 patients (6.8%) had to be reoperated on for complications. A follow-up investigation of 143 patients (92%) revealed a late mortality of 12%; no patient died of biliary complications. Seventy-five percent of the patients were completely free of pain, and 85% of the patients had a constant or even increasing body weight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high percentage of pain-free patients with improved physical status and economical rehabilitation demonstrates the improvement of the quality of life after DPPHR for complicated chronic pancreatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, University of Ulm, Steinhövelstrasse 9, D-89075 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schlosser
authors.forename: Bertram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Poch
authors.forename: Hans G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Beger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003137:Common Bile Duct Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004386:Duodenum; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management; D010179:Pancreas / Q000601:surgery*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome