[Pancreatic function and morphology in chronic alcoholism with and without cirrhosis]

We have made a prospective study in alcoholic patients, with and without hepatic cirrhosis, in order to evaluate the presence of modifications in the composition of pancreatic juice (JPP) and in the pancreatogram that allows us to diagnose the existence of chronic pancreatitis associated with alcoholic cirrhosis (CE). The patients where 23 chronic alcoholics, 13 of them with CE and the other 10 with no hepatic injury (AC). In all, an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (CPRE) was made and after having obtained a pancreatogram a intravenous infusion of secretin and cholecystokinin was performed. The total volume, the concentrations and the out-puts of bicarbonate, amylase, lipase and total proteins were measured in the pancreatic juice collected during 12 minutes. The pancreatogram was normal in the 92.3% of CE and in all the AC. Patients with CE had similar values of all the evaluated parameters to AC patients. In conclusion, there seems to be a good correlation between the pancreatogram and the analytic study of JPP, because the JPP has no qualitative and quantitative anomalies when the Wirsung duct is normal. In our opinion the study of JPP is not useful in the diagnostic of chronic pancreatitis associated with alcoholic hepatic cirrhosis.