Chronic Pancreatitis: Indications for Surgery

The indications for surgery in chronic pancreatitis can be grouped as follows: suspicion of carcinoma, operations on organs remote from the pancreas, local complications of chronic pancreatitis (the most common complication being the choledochal stenosis), and intractable pain. Almost all local complications are best treated surgically, with each operation adapted to the type of complication. In the case of intractable pain, the choice of the procedure depends on the morphology of the altered gland. In symptom-free patients an operation is never indicated, not even with the goal of preserving the exocrine function.