Is any surgical procedure ideal for chronic pancreatitis?

Chronic pancreatitis continues to be a major therapeutic challenge for all pancreatic surgeons. This article is written with a purpose to review various surgical procedures developed from time to time for the relief of pain in these patients. Since no single procedure can be labeled as "ideal" because of the problems of the inability to address the whole pathology at the initial procedure, failure or recurrence of the pain; most of the pancreatic and practicing surgeons may benefit from knowledge of the various procedures being performed, even though the personal experience of the surgeon most of the time ultimately dictates the final choice of the procedure for the patient.