[Chronic pancreatitis: anatomico-clinical and surgical therapy characteristics. Our experience with 321 cases]

Chronic pancreatitis of biliary origin, frequently located in the cephalic portion of the organ, etiopathogenically dependent on biliary lithiasis, the anatomoclinical evolution of which is complicated by their presence, have a better prognosis, and are usually reversible following therapy of the biliary affections. Persistent chronic pancreatitis proper, usually of the recurrent type, associated with calcification and the development of pancreatic stones, and with pseudocysts, although rare in our country, raise diagnostic difficulties from the standpoint of surgery, and have a reserved prognosis. The authors have evaluated a total of 321 cases hospitalized between 1960 and 1987 with chronic pancreatitis of biliary origin (252 cases--78.5%), and chronic pancreatitis proper, not associated to biliary affections (69 cases--21.5%). Male patients totalled 33.6% of all cases. The authors stress the high frequency of chronic pancreatitis associated to biliary lithiasis (181 cases), in contrast with pancreatitis associated to nonlithiasic cholecystopathies (38 cases), or to postoperative cholecystic disturbances (33 cases). Chronic pancreatitis non-associated to biliary affections totalled 69 cases, of which 24 were of the persistent type, 13 were of the recurrent type, one had calcifications, two had pancreatic stones, four followed acute pancreatitis, six were complicated by pancreatic abscesses, and 9 were complicated by pseudocysts. The duration of biliary and pancreatic disturbances was between 3 and 5 years in 43.9% of the cases, and between 6 and 10 years in 21.3%. Chronic pancreatitis achieves a complex clinical syndrome, the dominant feature being the painful biliopancreatic syndrome associated to obstructive jaundice (42.4%), angiocholitis (47.6%), weight loss (46%), hepatic and renal failure (10.9%), diabetes (8.4%), and a tumoral mass (15.7%). Indirect surgical interventions aimed at suppressing the biliary factor were carried out in 291 patients, with very good results in 56% of the cases, good results in 32%, mediocre in 7%. In 2.4% of the cases surgery failed to improve the condition of the patients. Direct interventions on the pancreas, which consisted either in pancreatic decompression or in exeresis of the gland have been performed in 30 patients. Drainage of pancreatic abscesses was done in 6 patients (2 deaths), cystic-digestive anastomoses were performed in 8 patients, Wirsung-jejunostomy in 3 patients (1 death), cystostomy in one patient, distal pancreatectomy in one patient (deceased), viscerolysis and novocaine infiltration in 11 patients. In the 321 cases of chronic pancreatitis operated by direct and indirect procedures very good