Surgical management of pure pancreatic fistulas

This paper reports on 13 patients with pure pancreatic fistulas defined as persistent lesions originating directly from the gland tissue and not from a pancreatico-intestinal or pancreatico-gastric anastomosis. Six fistulas were external and seven internal. All external fistulas were postoperative whereas all the internal ones were due to chronic pancreatitis. Conservative treatment of 2 to 36 months duration was unsuccessful, so that all patients underwent surgery. To establish a proper surgical strategy, preoperative mapping of the fistula by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP), fistulography and/or computerized tomography proved of value. In eleven patients, pancreatic fistula flow was surgically redirected into the gastrointestinal tract, while the remaining two were submitted to a pancreatic left resection. There were no hospital deaths and the complication rate was low. During the follow-up time of 6 to 96 months no recurrent fistulas were seen.