title: Pancreatic encephalopathy in 24 patients with severe acute pancreatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pancreatic encephalopathy (PE), an unfamiliar complication of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), is difficult to diagnose and treat, and it has a high mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the manifestation, classification, mechanism and therapy of PE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of 132 patients with SAP treated at our hospital from March 1994 to March 2004, 24 patients complicated by PE were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The causes of SAP were mostly biliary and alcoholic. Twenty-four patients (18.2%) were complicated by PE within 3 hours-38 days(average 6.6 days)[21(87.5%) within 2 weeks, and 3(12.5%) after 2 weeks] . Eleven patients were male and 13 female, with an average of 47 years (range 25-72 years). Excitement or restrain was the main manifestation. Nine patients (37.5%) received surgery and 15(62.5%) conservative treatment, with a mortality of 11.1%(1/9) and 66.7%(10/15), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PE occurs 2 weeks after SAP and is part of multiple organ failure (MOF). Some patients have PE in the late stage of SAP because of lack of VitB1 and nutrition. But PE can be prevented by prescribing adequate nutrition and VitB1 in the early stage of SAP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Second Clinical College, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, Chongqing 400010, China. dingpanda@163.com
authors.forename: Xiong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Chang-An
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jian-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Sheng-Wei
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013831:Thiamine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D013831:Thiamine