One Year Follow-Up to Acute Necrotic-Haemorrhagic Pancreatitis

Abstract

Until now little information has been available about the evolution of necrotichemorrhagic pancreatitis after its clinical recovery. This is a consequence both of the relatively low incidence of the disease and the mortality, which has been very high until recent years (Lawson et al. 1970; Banks 1971; Geokas et al. 1974; White and Heimbach 1976). Moreover, the available data are an inadequate basis for a reliable evaluation due to the different types of treatment — medical or surgical based on drainage or resection procedures — used by various centers (Jordan and Spjut 1972; Norton and Eiseman 1974; Warshaw et al. 1974; White and Heimbach 1976). It therefore seemed worthwhile conducting a long term follow-up (it is still being carried out) on patients who can be compared on a treatment basis. The treatment has been surgical and consisted of a twofold drainage (gastrostomy and cholecystostomy) plus guided perfusion of the peritoneal cavity and retroperitoneal spaces. The aim of the study is to verify the long term outcome of the illness and to investigate the influence of various etiologic factors on this outcome in the 41 patients who have survived the episode of acute necrotic-hemorrhagic pancreatitis. The estimated duration of the study is about 3 years. So far 15 patients have completed the 1st year follow-up — 14 men and 1 woman, with an average age of 46 and ages ranging from 27 to 71.