Pancreaticoduodenectomy versus Frey's procedure for chronic pancreatitis: Preliminary data on outcome and pancreatic function

Kun Chun Chiang, Chun Nan Yeh*, Jun Te Hsu, Han Ming Chen, Huang Yang Chen, Tsann Long Hwang, Yi Yin Jan, Miin Fu Chen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose. Several surgical treatments have been proposed for treating chronic pancreatitis (CP), including standard pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), pylorus-preserving PD, Beger's procedure, and Frey's procedure; however, few studies have compared pre- and postoperative pancreatic function in patients undergoing surgery for CP. Methods. Between 1996 and 2003, 42 patients with CP underwent pancreatic head resection; as PD in 17 and as Frey's procedure in 25. Frey's procedure was chosen if the pancreatic duct was dilated more than 5mm. We conducted this prospective, nonrandomized study to compare the pre- and postoperative status after PD or Frey's procedure by evaluating pancreatic function and symptom relief. Results. The demographic features, surgical morbidity, and mortality were similar in the two groups. Pancreatic exocrine function improved, pain subsided, and complications of the adjacent organs resolved after surgery in both groups. Similar postoperative endocrine and exocrine functional results were observed in both groups. Frey's procedure was associated with a significantly shorter hospital stay than PD (10.6 versus 15.4 days, respectively; (P < 0.0001)). Conclusion. There were no significant difference in operative time, surgical morbidity, or mortality rates between PD and Frey's procedure. Both procedures were equally effective in terms of pain relief, improvement of pancreatic exocrine function, and control of complications affecting the adjacent organs; however, Frey's procedure was associated with a significantly shorter hospital stay.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)961-966
Number of pages6
JournalSurgery Today
Volume37
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 11 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Chronic pancreatitis
  • Frey's procedure
  • Pancreaticoduodenectomy

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