Effectiveness and limitation of surgical treatment for chronic pancreatitis

Abstract

The effectiveness of various forms of therapy for chronic pancreatitis during the past fourteen years at our clinic was presented. Forty-nine patients underwent surgical treatment and twenty-six were treated medically, a total of seventy-five. The surgical procedures were classified as direct and indirect. Therapeutic results were better in the surgical group. Relief of abdominal pain was achieved in 92% of the direct and 94% of the indirect operative groups. Objective results, such as pancreatic function tests, were inconsistent. Direct operations were further evaluated by comparing the results of longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy to other surgical procedures.