title: End-stage chronic pancreatitis: a practical disease-descriptor.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Contemporary classification systems for chronic pancreatitis do not incorporate current knowledge of the disease biology of this condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This paper presents three case summaries of patients with longstanding chronic pancreatitis with extra-pancreatic complications. The cases highlight the inadequacies of current terminology. The term "end-stage chronic pancreatitis" is applied to advanced disease and disease descriptors are defined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The term "end-stage chronic pancreatitis" is a practical and readily applicable disease descriptor.
authors.affiliation: Hepatobiliary Unit, Department of Surgery, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road Manchester M13 9WL, UK.
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Siriwardana
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Siriwardena
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000145:classification*; D009626:Terminology as Topic