[Nutrition, probiotics, antibiotics, antioxidative therapy, endoscopy in chronic pancreatitis]

Treatment of chronic pancreatitis is dependent on the stage of the disease and consists of several arms: treatment of pain when ever possible according to its pathogenesis; treatment of complications primarily by interventional endoscopy, in cases of failure by surgery; therapy of exocrine insufficiency with porcine pancreatic extracts; treatment of endocrine insufficiency with insulin. Pseudocysts can be drained according to their location by either the transgastric, transduodenal, transpapillary or transcutaneous route. Distal prepapillary stenoses of the main pancreatic duct can be handled by placement of a plastic stent; similarily to treatment of biliary strictures. Stones leading to obstruction of the main pancreatic duct can be disintegrated by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and the fragments removed by endoscopy after papillotomy. Transgastral endoscopic drainage of retroperitoneal necroses is still experimental. Prospective randomized multicenter trials comparing surgery with interventional endoscopy are still lacking. Failure of endoscopic therapy or suspicion of tumor is clearly an indication for surgery. There is no need for a specific diet in patients with chronic pancreatitis without having diabetes. In severe attacks, clinically similar to acute pancreatitis, enteral nutrition via a jejunal tube is replacing parenteral nutrition. However, prospective comparative trials are still mandatory. Prophylactic application of antibiotics in patients with pancreatic necrosis is again under debate. Whether probiotics are capable to decrease the risk of secondary pancreatic infection of necrosis has not been thoroughly studied. The hypothesis that capture of oxygen free radicals by drugs such as selenium may prevent frequency and severity of acute relapses has also not been proven.