[Abscesses and pseudocysts as a sequela of acute pancreatitis]

During studying the literature a big confusion around the item abscess can be recognized. Especially in the English publications it is used for sterile tissue necrosis, infected necrosis, infected pseudocyst or suppuration. Pancreas phlegmon means there a sterile mass of pancreas and peripancreatic oedema. With us an abscess still is a located plus collection surrounded by a more or less tight capsule and a phlegmon is a diffuse purulent infection in the tissue. This definition is important because the frequency and prognosis of a true abscess is far below an infected necrosis (with us 4 abscess in 48 necrotising pancreatitis but 54% infected necrosis). Abscess formation needs two to four weeks whereas pseudocyst develops rather fast in one to two weeks. Although spontaneous resorption of pseudocyst is possible, we recognized ten and operated on all of them either by internal drainage or by resection of the tail of the pancreas. Mortality of one series of 124 patients with acute pancreatitis was at 30 days 4% and 27%, respectively, when necrosis was present and overall mortality having treated all patients to final discharge was 5% and 44%, respectively. Mortality rate was constant in the last years but Ranson score was continuously increasing.