What Does the Surgeon Need in the Preoperative Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis?

Abstract

Chronic pancreatitis is primarily not a surgical disease. In most cases this illness can be managed medically. Operative treatment remains a major challenge. The aims of surgical treatment are to relieve pain, treat complications and preserve pancreatic function. There is no operative procedure which is curative, and even following technically successful surgery symptoms such as pain may persist. Thus, the major issues are selection of the patient for operation, selection of the surgeon, the timing of operation, and the choice of the appropriate surgical procedure [1]. In general, resection of pancreatic parenchyma, drainage of the main pancreatic duct, or a combination of both methods can be performed. All the procedures have their individual indications and therefore cannot be evaluated in terms of relative merit.