Surgical management of intractable pain in chronic pancreatitis: past and present

The surgical management of pain in patients with chronic pancreatitis continues to provide a formidable challenge. Despite recent advances in the area of the pathophysiolgical cause of the symptoms of chronic pancreatitis there is still controversy as to the exact mechanisms that result in pain in both large and small duct disease. In addition, the surgical community has very polarized views as to the correct management of these patients. In this review we have set out to summarize the treatment options available and provide comparative data where available. Data were found following a computer search of the Medline database from 1966 to the present. The information extracted comprises mainly level two and level three data. There is a continuing lack of a "gold standard" in the surgical management of pancreatic pain. This is mainly due to the paucity of randomized controlled trials in the field of pancreatic surgery. With only four randomized controlled trials reported in the world literature it is difficult to state categorically what is the optimal treatment for this difficult group of patients. Until there is increased standardization in the reporting of both the physiological outcomes and quality-of-life issues in the surgical management of chronic pancreatitis this will continue to be the situation.