Pancreatic Pseudocysts in Chronic Pancreatitis. Surgical or Interventional Drainage?
D. BOERMA 1, H. OBERTOP 1, D.J. GOUMA 1
Affiliation
Article Info
1 Department of Surgery, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Abstract
Pseudocyst formation is a well-known complication of acute and chronic pancreatitis. Many pseudocysts are asymptomatic and may resolve without intervention. For a symptomatic pseudocyst drainage is indicated. Although surgical cystoenterostomy has been the treatment of choice for many years, recently invasive but non-operative treatment methods have challenged surgical drainage as the standard therapy for pancreatic pseudocysts. Both the method as well as the timing of intervention has become a matter of debate. Percutaneous catheter drainage and endoscopic drainage have proven beneficial in the treatment of pseudocysts, although long-term outcome remains to be awaited. Resolution rates after surgical and non-surgical methods are comparable, but clinical and technical aspects may mandate either method. Each patient requires an individual, multidisciplinary approach, thereby obtaining optimal treatment-outcome.
Keywords
- Chronic pancreatitis
- pseudocysts
- treatment
