TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 56. Chronic Pancreatitis A1 - Baker, Marshall S. A1 - Matthews, Jeffrey B. A2 - Zinner, Michael J. A2 - Ashley, Stanley W. Y1 - 2013 N1 - T2 - Maingot's Abdominal Operations, 12e AB - Chronic pancreatitis is an inflammatory and fibrosing disease of the exocrine pancreas characterized by irreversible morphological changes and permanent loss of function. The apparent incidence of chronic pancreatitis has increased approximately fourfold over the past several decades, likely due a broadening of its definition and the inclusion of patients with earlier-stage disease. The natural history of chronic pancreatitis is unpredictable. Affected individuals typically suffer a pattern of persistent or recurrent attacks of pain along with progressive pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. Symptoms may also result from extension of the disease process to adjacent organs and vascular structures. In later stages, pancreatic endocrine insufficiency may develop. Decision making in the management of chronic pancreatitis must be individualized to the specific anatomic and pathological circumstances, taking into account the extent of local expertise in various diagnostic and therapeutic modalities as well as the fact that there is a relative paucity of high-quality data on the clinical effectiveness of surgical and medical interventions. Optimal management is facilitated by a multidisciplinary approach that includes surgical, endoscopic, and radiological expertise in addition to nutrition, endocrinology, pain management, and psychosocial support. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=57019808 ER -