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Updated: Jan 22, 2026
Robotic Lateral Pancreaticojejunostomy for Chronic Pancreatitis
Published on: December 14, 2019
[Clinical features of chronic pancreatitis in children: a single-center retrospective study]
1Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital North, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201801, China.
Insights
Chronic pancreatitis (CP) in children often presents with abdominal pain and can lead to growth delays. Idiopathic causes and anatomical abnormalities are common, necessitating advanced imaging like MRCP and MRI for diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Hepatology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a debilitating condition affecting children.
- Understanding its clinical profile and impact on growth is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the clinical characteristics of pediatric CP.
- To evaluate the impact of CP on children's physical development and growth.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 94 children diagnosed with CP.
- Analysis of clinical data including pain, etiology, imaging, and growth parameters.
- Comparison with normal controls using statistical tests.
Main Results:
- The average age of the first episode was 8.2 years, with idiopathic CP and anatomical abnormalities as primary causes.
- Elevated serum amylase and lipase were observed in a significant portion of patients.
- Children with CP exhibited lower weight standard scores and decreased insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels, indicating growth delay.
- MRCP and MRI demonstrated higher diagnostic yield compared to abdominal ultrasound.
Conclusions:
- Idiopathic CP and anatomical abnormalities are key etiologies in children.
- Diagnosis of CP requires consideration of advanced imaging (MRCP, MRI) as standard tests can be inconclusive.
- CP significantly impacts growth, leading to delays that warrant monitoring and management.
Abstract:
Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of chronic pancreatitis (CP) and evaluate its impact on growth of children. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 94 children (male 49 cases, female 45 cases) who were diagnosed with CP in the Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from August 2008 to July 2015. Clinical characteristics, such as features of abdominal pain, etiologies, image data, levels of serum amylase and lipase, and physical development data were extracted from electronic medical records. The comparison between groups based on etiology or with normal control was performed with student's t test. Results: The age of first episode was (8.2±3.7) years. There were 61 (65%) children diagnosed with idiopathic CP, and 25 (27%) with anatomic abnormalities. The age of onset in the group with anatomic abnormalities was lower than that in the idiopathic CP group ((6.3±3.5) vs. (8.9±3.4) years, t=3.211, P=0.002). There were 51 (54%) patients with serum amylase elevation, 41(44%) patients with lipase elevation, and 35 (37%) with elevation in both. The questionnaire showed that 28 out of 30 children had moderate to severe abdominal pain. The patients' weight standard score (SDS) was significantly lower than the overall average in normal control (-0.4±1.1 vs. 0, t=-3.308, P=0.001). Meanwhile, the mean level of insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) SDS of 35 children was significantly decreased (-1.8±1.8 vs. 0, t=-6.136, P<0.01). There were 69% (37/54) patients diagnosed by magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), higher than that diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound (29%, 27/94). Conclusions: Idiopathic CP and anatomic abnormalities were the two main etiologies. Normal level of serum amylase and lipase or negative finding of ultrasound cannot exclude CP, while MRCP and MRI should be considered to improve CP diagnostic rate. It is noteworthy that growth delay would happen in children with CP history.
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