Abstract
In any discussion of surgery for chronic pancreatitis, the first question must be, “Can chronic pancreatitis be treated?” Current evidence suggests that chronic pancreatitis is a disease which, once it begins, never stops. Removing the underlying cause of the disease, such as alcohol, may slow the process of deterioration, but generally deterioration continues nonetheless [1,2]. Therefore, progression of the disease with ultimate destruction of the gland is to be expected, and recovery of function is exceptional. In this setting, surgical treatment may reduce symptoms or deal with specific complications, but there is no evidence that it will halt the progression of the disease or improve function.
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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Warshaw, A.L. (1990). Indications for Surgical Treatment in Chronic Pancreatitis. In: Beger, H.G., Büchler, M., Ditschuneit, H., Malfertheiner, P. (eds) Chronic Pancreatitis. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75319-0_49
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75319-0_49
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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