title: Long-period pancreatic stenting for painful chronic calcified pancreatitis required higher medical costs and frequent hospitalizations compared with surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to compare the benefits between endoscopic drainage and surgical drainage of the pancreatic duct for patients with chronic calcified pancreatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 68 patients were classified into endoscopic (n = 34) or surgical (n = 34) treatment groups. Patients receiving endoscopic treatment were further divided into 2 subgroups: a short-period group, patients who could discontinue serial pancreatic stenting within 1 year (n = 19); and a long-period group, patients who needed pancreatic drainage by serial endoscopic stenting for more than 1 year (n = 15). The medical records of these patients were retrospectively analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hospital stays, frequency of hospitalizations, and medical expense were similar between the short-period endoscopic treatment group and surgery group. On the other hand, patients in the long-period endoscopic treatment group required significantly longer hospital stays, more frequent hospitalizations, and had higher medical expenses than the short-period endoscopic treatment group as well as than the surgery group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients who underwent serial endoscopic stenting for more than 1 year showed no benefit compared with surgical treatment in terms of the frequency of hospital stays and medical costs.
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai City, Miyagi, Japan. morihirota@med.tohoku.ac.jp
authors: Morihisa
authors: M
authors: Hirota
authors: Tohru
authors: T
authors: Asakura
authors: Atsushi
authors: A
authors: Kanno
authors: Kazuhiro
authors: K
authors: Kikuta
authors: Kiyoshi
authors: K
authors: Kume
authors: Shin
authors: S
authors: Hamada
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Unno
authors: Hiromichi
authors: H
authors: Ito
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Ariga
authors: Atsushi
authors: A
authors: Masamune
authors: Kennichi
authors: K
authors: Satoh
authors: Fuyuhiko
authors: F
authors: Motoi
authors: Shinichi
authors: S
authors: Egawa
authors: Michiaki
authors: M
authors: Unno
authors: Tooru
authors: T
authors: Shimosegawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000191:economics / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy*; D004322:Drainage / Q000191:economics; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy / Q000191:economics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts / Q000601:surgery; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000191:economics / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy*; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000191:economics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents / Q000191:economics; D013997:Time Factors