title: Surgical and endoscopic treatment of pain in chronic pancreatitis: a multidisciplinary update.
abstract: Chronic pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas with abdominal pain as the most prominent symptom. Adequate treatment of patients with chronic pancreatitis remains a major challenge, mainly because of the lack of evidence-based treatment protocols. The primary goal of treatment is to achieve long-term pain relief, control of the complications associated with the disease, and to restore the quality of life. Currently, a conservative step-up approach is often used for the treatment of pain; progression to severe and intractable pain is considered necessary before invasive treatment is considered. Recent studies, however, suggest that surgical intervention should not be considered only as last-resort treatment, since it can mitigate disease progression, achieve excellent pain control, and preserve pancreatic function. In this review, we present a state-of-the art overview of endoscopic and surgical treatment options for patients with painful chronic pancreatitis, and elaborate on the timing of surgery.
authors: Department of Surgery, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Issa
authors: H C
authors: HC
authors: van Santvoort
authors: H
authors: H
authors: van Goor
authors: D L
authors: DL
authors: Cahen
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Bruno
authors: M A
authors: MA
authors: Boermeester
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D018450:Disease Progression; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery*; D011788:Quality of Life