[Surgical therapy of chronic pancreatitis]

From a series of 411 surgical operations in chronic pancreatitis patients, 142 were analyzed with respect to indication, early and late mortality, and results. Average follow-up time was 10 years. Resective procedures were used in 51 patients and drainage in 24. Late mortality was twice as high for drainage (19%) as for resection (7.5%). The subjective late results were best for resection, since in these cases relapse occurred only in 16% and improvement of symptoms in 79%; for drainage the improvement rate was only 65% and the recurrence rate 39%. Drainage was followed by latent or manifest diabetes in 21% of cases, and resection in 63%. Deterioration of exocrine pancreas function was observed in 29% of resections but in only 14% of drainages. These data indicate that prognosis of the disease depends on the surgical procedure as well a withdrawal of alcohol.