Percutaneous video-assisted necrosectomy for infected pancreatic necrosis.
OBJECTIVE
Percutaneous drainage of infected pancreatic necrosis is not always efficient and morbidity is high with open necrosectomy techniques. Minimally-invasive procedures have been developed to reduce this morbidity. We report our early experience with percutaneous video-assisted necrosectomy.


METHODS
Among 61 patients with acute pancreatitis treated between January 2001 and February 2003, seven developed infected pancreatic necrosis. Six of these seven patients underwent percutaneous video-assisted necrosectomy after failure of radio-guided percutaneous drainage.


RESULTS
One to four sessions of percutaneous video-assisted necrosectomy were required. There was no death. Sepsis control was achieved in all patients. One patient developed postoperative peritonitis due to intraoperative contamination of the peritoneal cavity. Eighteen months after the last necrosectomy, one patient developed a pseudocyst which was successfully cured by percutaneous drainage. One patient developed diabetes mellitus.


CONCLUSIONS
Early experience in six patients has shown that percutaneous video-assisted necrosectomy is feasible, safe and efficient, in accordance with reports in the literature. Further evaluation is necessary.
Risse
Olivier
O
Département de Chirurgie Digestive et de l'Urgence, Hôpital Michallon, BP 217, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9. ORisse@chu-grenoble.fr
Auguste
Thomas
T
Delannoy
Pierre
P
Cardin
Nicolas
N
Bricault
Ivan
I
Létoublon
Christian
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D019283:Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020535:Video-Assisted Surgery / Q000379:methods*