Abstract
The provocative title of this topic raises the fundamental question regarding the biology and evolution of chronic pancreatitis (CP). Before one attempts to deal with this issue, it is imperative to review the current state of the classification of chronic pancreatitis. Classification of disease implies three main pieces of information: (a) etiology, (b) management, and (c) prognosis. Therefore, in order to answer the question whether patients with chronic pancreatitis have the same disease, it is essential to outline the classification of the disease. The definition of chronic pancreatitis means permanent damage of the pancreas, which is morphological and functional [1]. The evolution of the disease may be static with preservation of exocrine pancreatic function, or progressive with the development of pancreatic insufficiency. Chronic pancreatitis, being a continuing inflammatory process, is characterized by parenchymal damage and fibrosis, as well as tissue repair and cellular regeneration (Fig. 1).
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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Arvanitakis, C. (1994). Opinion from Greece. In: Pederzoli, P., Cavallini, G., Bassi, C., Falconi, M. (eds) Facing the Pancreatic Dilemma. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79167-3_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79167-3_15
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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