How is chronic pancreatitis diagnosed and treated?

  Chronic pancreatitis (chronic pancreatitis) is an irreversible chronic inflammation of the pancreatic parenchyma and pancreatic duct due to various causes, characterized by recurrent epigastric pain with varying degrees of endocrine and exocrine pancreatic decompensation or loss.  The main etiology of the disease is long-term alcohol abuse, while in China, biliary tract disease is the main cause.  Clinical manifestations abdominal pain is the most common. It is located in the upper abdomen under the glabella or to the left, often radiating to the low back in a girdle-like pattern. The pain lasts for a long time. There may be loss of appetite and weight loss. About 1/3 of patients have insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and 1/4 have steatorrhea. Abdominal pain, weight loss, diabetes mellitus and steatorrhea are usually referred to as the tetralogy of chronic pancreatitis.  Diagnosis: Based on the typical clinical presentation, the possibility of this disease should be considered. Stool examination may reveal fat droplets, and pancreatic function tests have insufficiency.  Ultrasound can show restricted nodules in the pancreas, dilated pancreatic ducts, cyst formation, and pancreatic enlargement or fibrosis.  Abdominal X-ray may show pancreatic calcification or pancreatic stone shadow.  CT scan can show pancreatic parenchymal calcification, nodularity, uneven density, pancreatic duct dilatation or cyst formation.  ERCP can show pancreatic duct dilatation or irregular bead shape, calcification or stone shadow, and also cyst.  2, non-surgical treatment 1, etiological treatment: treatment of biliary tract disease, abstinence from alcohol.  2.Analgesia.  3.Diet therapy: small and frequent meals, high protein, high vitamin, low fat diet.  4.Supplementation of pancreatic enzymes: indigestion, especially for patients with steatorrhea, large amounts of exogenous pancreatic enzyme preparations should be given.  5.Control of diabetes: control the diet and use insulin replacement therapy.  6.Nutritional support.  2.Surgical treatment The aim is mainly to reduce pain and delay the progress of the disease, which cannot be cured.  (1) Correction of the primary disease: If there is coexisting gallstones, surgery should be performed to remove gallstones (2) pancreatic drainage: ① Oddi sphincterotomy through the duodenum to release the sphincter stenosis, so that the pancreatic duct can be drained; this procedure can also be performed through ERCP.       (2) Lateral anastomosis of the pancreatic duct and jejunum: The pancreatic duct is incised, the stone is removed, and a lateral anastomosis is made with the jejunum.  (3) Pancreatic resection: The following procedures can be used according to the extent of the lesion in patients with severe pancreatic fibrosis without pancreatic duct dilatation.  ①Caudal pancreatic resection: it is suitable for caudal pancreatic lesions.  ②Sub-total pancreatectomy.  ③ Pancreatic head duodenectomy (Whipple procedure) ④ Pylorus-preserving pancreatic head duodenectomy (PPPD).  ⑤Pancreatic head duodenectomy with preservation of the duodenum: Roux-en-Y anastomosis is performed between the residual pancreas and the jejunum, with similar results as PPPD.  ⑥Total pancreatectomy: It is suitable for patients with intractable pain with extensive lesions, who need lifelong insulin injections and oral pancreatic enzyme tablets.