Open necrosectomy in acute pancreatitis-obsolete or still useful?

Multiple organ failure and early surgery are associated with high morbimortality after open necrosectomy. Data are mostly derived from historical cohorts with early necrosectomy bereft of step-up treatment algorithm implementation. Thus, mostly circumstantial evidence suggests a better clinical course following mini-invasive surgical and endoscopic necrosectomy. We studied the results of open necrosectomy in a contemporary cohort of patients with complicated pancreatic necrosis treated at a tertiary center.

A retrospective cohort study from a university teaching hospital. Results of 109 consecutive patients treated with open necrosectomy during a 12-year period are reported.

The overall 90-day mortality rate was 22.9%. The 90-day mortality rate was 10.6% if necrosectomy could be delayed until 4 weeks from symptom onset and the necrosis had become walled off on preoperative imaging. The risk factors for 90-day mortality were age over 60 years (OR 19.4), pre-existing co-morbidities (OR 16.9), necrosectomy within 4 weeks (OR 6.5), multiple organ failure (OR 12.2), white blood cell count over 23 × 10⁹ (OR 21.4), and deterioration or prolonged organ failure as an indication for necrosectomy (OR 10.4). None or one of these risk factors was present in 52 patients (47.7% of all patients), and these patients had no mortality.

Late open necrosectomy for walled-off necrosis has a low mortality risk. Open necrosectomy can be done without mortality in the absence of multiple risk factors for surgery.