Search

Background and Aims: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided pancreatic duct intervention (EUS-PDI) is one of the most technically challenging procedures. There remains a knowledge gap due to its rarity. The aim is to report the accumulated EUS-PDI experience in a tertiary center., Methods: Single tertiary center, retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data during the study period, from January 2013 to June 2021., Results: In total, 14 patients (85% male; mean age, 61 years, range 37-81) and 25 EUS-PDI procedures for unsuccessful endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP) were included. Principal etiology was chronic pancreatitis with pancreatic duct obstruction (78%). EUS-guided assisted (colorant and/or guidewire, rendezvous) ERP was performed in 14/25 (56%); and transmural drainage in 11 procedures, including pancreaticogastrosmy in 9/25 (36%) and pancreaticoduodenostomy in 2/25 (8%). Overall technical and clinical success was 78.5% (11/14). Three (21%) patients required a second procedure with success in all cases. Two failed cases required surgery. Three (21%) adverse events (AEs) were noted (fever, n=1; perforation, n=1; pancreatitis, n=1). Patients underwent a median of 58 months (range 24-108) follow-up procedures for re-stenting. Spontaneous stent migration was detected in 50% of cases., Conclusions: EUS-PDI is an effective salvage therapy for unsuccessful ERP, although 21% of patients may still experience AEs. In case of EUS-guided rendezvous failure, it can cross over to a transmural drainage., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: We aimed to perform a Bayesian network meta-analysis to assess the comparative diagnostic performance of different imaging modalities in chronic pancreatitis(CP)., Methods: The PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant publications until March 2024. All studies evaluating the head-to-head diagnostic performance of imaging modalities in CP were included. Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed to compare the sensitivity and specificity between the imaging modalities. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Performance Studies (QUADAS-2) tool was used to evaluate the quality of studies., Results: This meta-analysis incorporated 17 studies. Network meta-analytic results indicated that endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) achieved the highest surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) value at 0.86 for sensitivity. Conversely, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated best specificity, recording the highest SUCRA value at 0.99. Ultrasonography (US) displayed comparatively lower sensitivity than endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) (relative risk[RR]: 0.83, 95% Confidence Interval[CI]: 0.69-0.99) and EUS (RR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.57-0.91). MRI outperformed all other imaging modalities in terms of specificity., Conclusions: It appears that EUS demonstrates higher sensitivity, while MRI exhibits higher specificity in patients with chronic pancreatitis. However, it is crucial to note that our analysis was limited to the diagnostic performance and did not evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these various imaging modalities. Consequently, further extensive studies are needed to assess the benefit-to-risk ratios comprehensively., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis, ethics approval and consent to participate are not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. The manuscript does not include the participant’s identification image or other personal or clinical details. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The time interval from symptom onset to the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis (CP) remains disproportionately long today due to nonspecific symptoms and the absence of a definitive laboratory marker. Nevertheless, mortality is increased by 3.6 times compared to the general population. Additionally, the risk of developing pancreatic carcinoma is 16 times higher in the presence of CP. According to the current S3 guideline, the morphological staging of CP should be based on the Cambridge Classification for CT/MRCP. Most radiologists morphologically associate CP with Cambridge Stage 4, which is characterized by classic calcifications. The subtle morphologies of earlier Cambridge Stages are often unrecognized, leading to delayed diagnosis. The aim of this study was to diagnose CP at Cambridge Stage 2 as the cause of unexplained upper abdominal discomfort.A retrospective analysis was conducted on 266 patients with unexplained upper abdominal pain who underwent outpatient MRI with MRCP between January 1, 2021, and October 1, 2023. The criteria for Cambridge Stage 2 were evaluated: pancreatic duct in the corpus measuring between 2 and 4 mm, pancreatic hypertrophy, cystic changes < 10 mm, irregularities in the duct, or > 3 pathological side branches. Patients with known tumors or other leading diagnoses, which explained the discomfort, were excluded.25 patients (15 female, 10 male) met the criteria for CP Stage 2 (9%). Ductal dilation between 2 and 4 mm was visible in 21 cases. Pancreatic hypertrophy was observed in six cases. Cystic changes < 10 mm were identified in three cases. Irregularities in the duct ("wavy duct") were diagnosed in 19 patients. Dilation of > 3 side branches was recognized in 17 cases. Lipase levels were additionally determined, with 13 patients showing pathologically elevated levels (> 60 U/l).CP at Cambridge Stage 2 is an important and underestimated diagnosis in patients with unexplained upper abdominal pain in the outpatient setting. Radiologists should pay attention not only to common signs like calcifications, large cysts, or duct strictures but also to subtle changes such as duct irregularities ("wavy duct configuration") and pathologically dilated side branches, which could lead to a significantly earlier diagnosis of CP. Lipase determination may be an additional indication of chronic pancreatitis in this context. · Early-stage Cambridge 2 CP is an important and underestimated diagnosis in patients with unexplained upper abdominal pain in the outpatient setting.. · Radiologists should pay attention to subtle signs of early CP.. · Additional information about lipase levels can be helpful in the diagnostic process.., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

The evolution of pancreatic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has transformed from a diagnostic tool to now a primarily therapeutic modality. Mainly utilized within the spectrum of pancreatitis, pancreatic ERCP can help resolve pancreatic duct (PD) leaks, disruptions, and pancreatic fluid collections. In chronic pancreatitis, ERCP is effective for the treatment of PD strictures and stones with the improvement of pancreatoscopy greatly facilitating targeted therapy. Pancreatoscopy also allows for accurate mapping of main duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, which can help guide surgical resection., Competing Interests: Disclosure Author S. Han is a Consultant for Boston Scientific. Author V. Chandrasekhara is a Consultant for Boston Scientific, a shareholder for Nevakar Corp, and receives research support from Micro-tech Endoscopy and STARmed., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We report a 62-year-old female with chronic pancreatitis after three episodes of severe acute pancreatitis. In 2008, an uneven main pancreatic duct (MPD) of 16 mm was found during an abdominal ultrasound. The follow-up was not continued until 2020, when a dilation of 27 mm of the MPD was discovered at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In 2022, another radiological test was carried out showing a dilation of the MPD of 40 mm with an intraductal tumoral lesion of 30 mm at the head of the pancreas). An echo-endoscopy was carried out and a pancreatic-duodenal tumour with a mixed pattern was discovered. Atypic cells were observed at the fine needle punction. A total duodenopancreatectomy was successfully carried out. In the anatomopathological macroscopic study a 14 cm-multi-cystic neoformation was seen and a solid tumour was discovered at the head of the pancreas that infiltrated the wall of the duodenum. In the longitudinal cross-section of the pancreatic body the MPD was seen to be severely dilated. A focal adenocarcinoma in a intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) was finally diagnosed.

Chronic pancreatitis in children is an irreversible inflammatory disease, which can cause intractable abdominal pain and abnormal internal and external secretion function of the pancreas, seriously affecting the growth and development of children and the quality of life. ERCP has become the first choice because of its good effect and less trauma. However, the severe stenosis of pancreatic duct caused by chronic pancreatitis may make ERCP more difficult. Here we used the rendezvous technique to assist ERCP to complete the treatment of severe pancreatic duct stenosis and abdominal pain.

The association between pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) and morphologic findings in chronic pancreatitis has not yet been fully studied. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between PEI severity and computed tomography (CT)-based morphological severity in patients with chronic pancreatitis. This nationwide survey included 180 Korean participants with chronic pancreatitis aged 18 years or older between January 2018 and December 2021. PEI severity was measured by the PEI questionnaire (PEI-Q). Morphological severity was measured using a CT-based scoring system, which included pancreatic duct caliber, pancreatic duct stricture or intraductal obstructing calculus, pancreatic atrophy, and pancreatic calcification. In addition, 35 patients who received pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) were evaluated by PEI-Q to determine whether PEI improved after PERT. PEI severity was normal (n = 89), mild (n = 69), moderate (n = 14), or severe (n = 8). Severities of pancreatic duct caliber and pancreatic duct stricture or intraductal obstructing calculus had small but significant associations with PEI severity (Cramer V = 0.121 and 0.141, respectively). Severities of pancreatic atrophy and pancreatic calcification were not significantly associated with PEI severity. PEI severity showed a significant improvement after PERT (P < .001). In conclusion, PEI severity had significant associations with CT-based morphological severities, including severities of pancreatic duct caliber and pancreatic duct stricture or intraductal obstructing calculus. In addition, PEI-Q could be a useful indicator for evaluating the therapeutic effect of PERT in clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background/objectives: The clinical utility of body composition in the development of complications of acute pancreatitis (AP) remains unclear. We aimed to describe the associations between body composition and the recurrence of AP., Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients hospitalized with AP at three tertiary care centers. Patients with computer tomography (CT) imaging of the abdomen at admission were included. A previously validated and fully automated abdominal segmentation algorithm was used for body composition analysis. Hospitalization for a recurrent episode of AP was the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints included the development of chronic pancreatitis (CP) or diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients who were evaluated. Cox Proportional Hazards regression was used., Results: From a total of 347 patients, 89 (25.6%) were hospitalized for recurrent AP (median time: 219 days). Thirty-four of 112 patients (30.4%) developed CP (median time: 311 days) and 22 of 88 (25.0%) developed DM (median time: 1104 days). After adjusting for age, male sex, first episode of AP, BUN, and severity of AP, we found that obesity, body mass index, alcohol pancreatitis, and gallstone pancreatitis were significantly associated with a recurrent episode of AP. Body composition was not associated with recurrent AP. In unadjusted analysis, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) (HR 0.87 per 10 cm 2 , p = 0.002) was associated with CP. Skeletal muscle (SM) mass approached significance for CP (p = 0.0546). Intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) (HR 1.45 per 5 cm 2 , p = 0.0264) was associated with DM., Conclusion: Body composition was not associated with having a recurrent AP. At follow-up, 30% and 25% of evaluated patients developed CP and DM, respectively. A higher SAT and IMAT were associated with a lower incidence of CP and higher incidence of DM, respectively., Competing Interests: Declarations Competing interest PC, TM, BJ, CGO, AMS, FFS, PK, JRK, DMH, JDE, REC, BJ, HDH, MBW, VK, and YB declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Ethical approval This retrospective chart review study involving human participants was in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The Human Investigation Committee (IRB) of Mayo Clinic approved this study. Writing assistance There was no writing assistance for this manuscript. Disclaimer An abstract of this manuscript was accepted as a poster presentation for the American College of Gastroenterology 2023 conference in Vancouver, Canada. The abstract title is “Association Between Body Composition Measured by Artificial Intelligence and the Long-Term Sequelae After Acute Pancreatitis.”, (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction and Aim: Chronic pancreatitis is a pathologic fibroinflammatory syndrome of the pancreas. Treatment includes medical management and endoscopic and/or surgical interventions. Our aim was to describe progression in patients with chronic pancreatitis whose initial management was either endoscopic or surgical., Material and Methods: A retrospective, analytic, observational, and longitudinal study was conducted that included patients diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis treated at the Hospital de Especialidades of the Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI from 2015 to 2021., Results: Twenty-two patients were included in the study; 12 underwent endoscopy and 10 underwent surgery. The mean number of interventions performed was 3 in the endoscopic management group and 1.1 in the surgical management group (p = 0.001). Regarding pain remission (partial or total), results were statistically significant in favor of surgical management (p = 0.035). Of the 12 patients that initially underwent endoscopy, 7 (58.3%) eventually required surgery during follow-up. There were no statistically significant differences with respect to opioid and pancreatin use, readmissions, weight loss, steatorrhea, newly diagnosed diabetes, or deaths during follow-up., Conclusion: Pain is the main indication for invasive treatment, whether endoscopic or surgical, in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Slightly more than half of the patients that were initially managed endoscopically required surgery during follow-up. Management decisions should be multidisciplinary and individualized for each patient., (Copyright © 2024 Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.)

This clinical practice guideline from the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) provides an evidence-based approach for the role of endoscopy in the management of chronic pancreatitis (CP). This document was developed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework. The guideline addresses effectiveness of endoscopic therapies for the management of pain in CP, including celiac plexus block, endoscopic management of pancreatic duct (PD) stones and strictures, and adverse events such as benign biliary strictures (BBSs) and pseudocysts. In patients with painful CP and an obstructed PD, the ASGE suggests surgical evaluation in patients without contraindication to surgery before initiation of endoscopic management. In patients who have contraindications to surgery or who prefer a less-invasive approach, the ASGE suggests an endoscopic approach as the initial treatment over surgery, if complete ductal clearance is likely. When a decision is made to proceed with a celiac plexus block, the ASGE suggests an EUS-guided approach over a percutaneous approach. The ASGE suggests indications for when to consider ERCP alone or with pancreatoscopy and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy alone or followed by ERCP for treating obstructing PD stones based on size, location, and radiopacity. For the initial management of PD strictures, the ASGE suggests using a single plastic stent of the largest caliber that is feasible. For symptomatic BBSs caused by CP, the ASGE suggests the use of covered metal stents over multiple plastic stents. For symptomatic pseudocysts, the ASGE suggests endoscopic therapy over surgery. This document clearly outlines the process, analyses, and decision processes used to reach the final recommendations and represents the official ASGE recommendations on the above topics., Competing Interests: Disclosure The following authors disclosed financial relationships: S. G. Sheth: Consultant for Janssen Research & Development, LLC. J. D. Machicado: Consultant for Mauna Kea Technologies, Inc; food and beverage compensation from Mauna Kea Technologies, Inc and Boston Scientific Corporation. J. M. Chalhoub: Travel compensation from Olympus Corporation of the Americas;food and beverage compensation from Boston Scientific Corporation. C. Forsmark: Consultant for Nestle Healthcare Nutrition, Inc. N. C. Thosani: Consultant for Pentax of America, Inc, Boston Scientific Corporation, AbbVie Inc, and Ambu Inc; travel and food and beverage compensation from Pentax of America, Inc, Boston Scientific Corporation, and AbbVie Inc; speaker for AbbVie Inc. N. R. Thiruvengadam: Research support from Boston Scientific Corporation. S. Pawa: Consultant for Boston Scientific Corporation. S. Ngamruengphong: Consultant for Boston Scientific Corporation; food and beverage compensation from Medtronic, Inc, Boston Scientific Corporation, Pentax of America, Inc, and Ambu Inc. N. B. Marya: Consultant for Boston Scientific Corporation; food and beverage compensation from Boston Scientific Corporation and Apollo Endosurgery US Inc. D. R. Kohli: Research support from Olympus Corporation of the Americas. L. L. Fujii-Lau: Food and beverage compensation from Pfizer Inc. and AbbVie Inc. N. Forbes: Consultant for Boston Scientific Corporation, Pentax of America, Inc, AstraZeneca, and Pendopharm Inc; speaker for Pentax of America, Inc and Boston Scientific Corporation; research support from Pentax of America, Inc. S. E. Elhanafi: Food and beverage compensation from Medtronic, Inc, Nestle HealthCare Nutrition Inc, Ambu Inc, Salix Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc, and Merit Medical Systems Inc. N. Cosgrove: Consultant for Olympus Corporation of the Americas and Boston Scientific Corporation; food and beverage compensation from Boston Scientific Corporation and Ambu Inc. N. Coelho-Prabhu: Consultant for Boston Scientific Corporation and Alexion Pharma; research support from Cook Endoscopy and FujiFilm; food and beverage compensation from Olympus America Inc and Boston Scientific Corporation. S. K. Amateau: Consultant for Boston Scientific Corporation, Merit Medical, Olympus Corporation of the Americas, MTEndoscopy, US Endoscopy, Heraeus Medical Components, LLC, and Cook Medical LLC; travel compensation Boston Scientific Corporation; food and beverage compensation from Boston Scientific Corporation, Olympus Corporation of the Americas, and Cook Medical LLC; advisory board for Merit Medical. W. Abidi: Consultant for Ambu Inc, Apollo Endosurgery US Inc, and ConMed Corporation; food and beverage compensation from Ambu Inc, Apollo Endosurgery US Inc, ConMed Corporation, Olympus America Inc, AbbVie Inc, Boston Scientific Corporation, RedHill Biopharma Inc, and Salix Pharmaceuticals; research support from GI Dynamics. B. J. Qumseya: Consultant for Medtronic, Inc and Assertio Management, LLC; food and beverage compensation from Medtronic, Inc, Fujifilm Healthcare Americas Corporation, and Boston Scientific Corporation; speaker for Castle Biosciences. All other authors disclosed no financial relationships., (Copyright © 2024 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To non-invasively quantify pancreatic fibrosis and grade severity of chronic pancreatitis (CP) on dual-energy CT (DECT) and multiparametric MRI (mpMRI)., Methods: We included 72 patients (mean age:30years; 59 men) with suspected or confirmed CP from December 2019 to December 2021 graded as equivocal(n = 20), mild(n = 18), and moderate-marked(n = 34) using composite imaging and endoscopic ultrasound criteria. Study patients underwent multiphasic DECT and mpMRI of the abdomen. Normalized iodine concentration(NIC) and fat fraction(FF) on 6-minute delayed DECT, and T1 relaxation time(T1Rt), extracellular volume fraction(ECVf), intravoxel incoherent motion-based perfusion fraction(PF), and magnetization transfer ratio(MTR) on mpMRI of pancreas were compared. 20 renal donors(for DECT) and 20 patients with renal mass(for mpMRI) served as controls., Results: NIC of pancreas in controls and progressive grades of CP were 0.24 ± 0.05, 0.80 ± 0.18, 1.06 ± 0.23, 1.40 ± 0.36, FF were 9.28 ± 5.89, 14.19 ± 5.29, 17.31 ± 5.99, 29.32 ± 12.22, T1Rt were 590.11 ± 61.13, 801.93 ± 211.01, 1006.79 ± 352.18, 1388.01 ± 312.23ms, ECVf were 0.07 ± 0.03, 0.30 ± 0.12, 0.41 ± 0.12, 0.53 ± 0.13, PF were 0.38 ± 0.04, 0.28 ± 0.07, 0.25 ± 0.09, 0.21 ± 0.05 and MTR were 0.12 ± 0.03, 0.15 ± 0.06, 0.21 ± 0.07, 0.26 ± 0.06, respectively. There were significant differences for all quantitative parameters between controls and mild CP; for NIC, PF, and ECVf between controls and progressive CP grades (p < 0.05). Area under curve for NIC, FF, T1Rt, ECVf, PF, and MTR in differentiating controls and mild CP were 1.00, 0.86, 0.95, 1.00, 0.90 and 0.84 respectively and for NIC, FF, ECVf and PF in differentiating controls and equivocal CP were 1.00, 0.76, 0.95 and 0.92 respectively., Conclusion: DECT and mpMRI were useful in quantifying pancreatic fibrosis and grading the severity of CP. NIC was the most accurate marker., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Aim: To evaluate the possibilities of post-processing of multidetector computed tomography (CT) results in the non-invasive diagnosis of pancreatic fibrosis (PF)., Materials and Methods: The study included 165 patients aged 57.91±13.5 years who underwent preoperative CT during surgical treatment for chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer from April 2022 to February 2024. The normalized contrast ratios of pancreatic tissue in the pancreatic (NCPP) and venous (NCVP) phases, as well as the contrast ratio (CR) were measured. Pathomorphological assessment of PF performed in tissues outside neoplasm or desmoplastic reaction by the Kloppel and Maillet scale., Results: The values of post-processing CT results were compared in groups with different degrees of PF. Mean CR values were significantly higher ( p= 0.001) in patients with severe PF (CR 1.16±0.65 HU) than in patients with mild PF (CR 0.78±0.31 HU). CR value significant increase ( p= 0.03) was found in patients with signs of inflammatory changes in the pancreas tissue (CR 1.14±0.6 HU) than in those without them (CR 0.81±0.3 HU). There were no significant differences between the values of NCPP and NCVP, and the degree of PF., Conclusion: The CR value increased in patients with severe degree of PF. There was a relationship between CR value increase and the radiological density of pancreatic tissue in non-contrast phase and presence of early signs of pancreatic inflammatory changes. Thus, there was a relationship between CT postprocessing results and morphological signs of PF, which can be used for pancreatic fibrosis non-invasive diagnosis and identification of additional signs of early chronic pancreatitis.

Background: diagnosis of early chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a challenge due to the lack of accurate methods. The ability of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided biopsy to obtain pancreatic core tissue samples in patients with minimal changes of CP and its potential use for the histological diagnosis of early CP are unknown. The aim of the study was to evaluate the ability of different EUS-guided biopsy core needles to obtain histological samples of healthy pig pancreas., Methods: an observational, feasibility, comparative, single blind study was performed in two pigs, of two months old, weighing 22 kg. EUS-guided biopsy was performed from the body of the pancreas. Core needles of 19-gauge, 20-gauge, 22-gauge and 25-gauge were used. Two passes with ten to-and-fro movements were performed with each needle. Samples were evaluated by blinded expert pathologists. Primary end point was the ability to obtain core tissue samples. Secondary end point included fragmentation, core size, amount of blood and sample quality for histological assessment., Results: a core tissue sample was obtained with 19-gauge, 20-gauge and 22-gauge core needles. The mean size of the tissue core was 2.38 ± 1.06 mm (range 1-4 mm). Tissue samples were considered as adequate for histological evaluation with 19-gauge and 22-gauge Franseen and fork-tip and 20-gauge reverse bevel needles. No complications related to the procedure were reported., Conclusions: obtaining a core tissue sample of healthy pancreas by EUS-guided biopsy is feasible. Whether EUS-guided biopsy using these needles is accurate and safe for the histological diagnosis of early CP deserves further investigations.

Background: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is the most sensitive method for diagnosing chronic pancreatitis (CP) in its early stages, and Rosemont Classification (RC) is used for its evaluation. Data on the correlation between EUS features and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) are limited. We investigated the correlation between the EUS findings and PEI., Methods: This was a retrospective, monocentric cohort study involving patients prospectively enrolled from 2018 to 2022, with definite or probable CP according to the M-ANNHEIM criteria. All the patients underwent EUS and exocrine function investigations within 12 months of diagnosis. PEI was diagnosed using fecal elastase (FE) or when overt steatorrhea was reversed by pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. Logistic regression analyses, rank correlation, ROC curve, and area under the curve (AUROC) were performed to evaluate the association between EUS features and PEI, and the accuracy of RC in predicting PEI., Results: Among 128 patients examined (63.3 % male; mean age, 47 years), 69.5 % were diagnosed with PEI. In multivariate logistic regression among all the RC criteria, only lithiasis in the main pancreatic duct (MPD) was associated with increased risk of PEI (OR 2.92, 95 % CI 1.29-6.61; p = 0.01). Rank analysis showed a weak inverse correlation between RC and FE (Spearman's rho = -0.02; p = 0.03). The accuracy of RC was moderate (AUROC 0.62, p = 0.014)., Conclusions: Among RC EUS features, lithiasis in the MPD is helpful for predicting the risk of PEI, while other findings are of limited utility in evaluating exocrine function., (Copyright © 2024 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Disclosure All authors disclosed no financial relationships. Commentary Recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis can be challenging to manage. Various risk factors for the development of idiopathic recurrent acute pancreatitis have been identified, including anatomic variants such as the presence of pancreas divisum. This report from Wang and colleagues demonstrates a less frequently encountered variant of pancreatic anatomy: the meandering main pancreatic duct. This variant can be a loop type, as in this case, or a hairpin type, also known as a Z-type configuration. The current case demonstrates a challenging scenario where the patient has chronic, calcific pancreatitis and stones in the main pancreatic duct. The loop-type main pancreatic duct made ductal clearing from stones difficult, but extraction was ultimately achieved after gentle manipulation of the duct into a more typical configuration with the extraction balloon. I particularly appreciate the high-quality pancreaticogram images demonstrating this technique. In addition to the occasional presence of meandering main pancreatic duct in patients with recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis, readers should keep in mind that the condition may be associated with anomalous pancreaticobiliary junction and has been reported to occur in patients with choledochal cysts. Jordan Sparkman, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA Amy Tyberg, MD, FASGE, FACG, Associate Editor for Focal Points

Background: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided pancreatic duct (PD) drainage (EUS-PDD) is being increasingly performed as an alternative method to surgical drainage to achieve PD decompression after failed endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP). However, no directly study has compared EUS-PDD with surgical PD drainage after failed ERP in patients with chronic pancreatitis., Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent EUS-PDD or longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy after failed ERP were retrospectively identified from our endoscopy and medical information systems. The primary end point was the Izbicki pain score. The secondary end points were pain relief at the end of follow-up, procedure outcomes, adverse events, readmission, and reintervention., Results: A total of 21 patients (11 EUS-PDD, 10 surgical drainages) were analyzed. There were no significant differences in mean Izbicki pain score (EUS-PDD, 13.6 ± 10.1 vs. surgical drainage 10.7 ± 7.9, p = 0.483) or complete/partial pain relief (60%/30% vs. 70%/30%, p = 0.752) at the end of follow-up of the two groups. The rates of overall adverse events (27.3% vs. 30.0%, p = 0.893) and readmission (63.6% vs. 40.0%, p = 0.290) were similar in the two treatment groups, while patients in EUS-PDD group required more reinterventions (45.5% vs. 0%, p = 0.039) compared with patients in the surgery group., Conclusion: EUS-PDD showed comparable pain relief and safety to surgical PD drainage after failed ERP, with a higher rate of reintervention. The selection of EUS-PDD or surgical drainage may be appropriate based on an individualized strategy., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Follicular pancreatitis (FP) is an extremely odd entity characterized by the presence of a pseudotumor that histologically presents lymphoid aggregates and germinal centers. The authors present the case of a 67-year-old woman with epigastric pain and jaundice. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) was performed, revealing a 14x15 mm hypoechoic area with irregular edges in the head of the pancreas. The in situ cytological study showed polymorphic lymphoid cellularity, without atypia suggesting neoplasia. The cell block and the immunohistochemical study showed a polyclonal population with a pattern suggestive of FP. The patient presented spontaneous clinical improvement. The EUS follow up three months later shown pancreatic parenchyma with homogeneous echogenicity and no space occupying lesions were indentified. Since the diagnosis of FP has been reached after surgery in most cases, the treatment is not well established. However, no recurrences have been reported after surgery and spontaneous resolution has been observed in incomplete resections, which suggests the indication for conservative management. Diagnostic EUS has a fundamental role in the differential diagnosis between FP and pancreatic neoplasms, two entities with very different prognosis, and makes it possible to avoid, in the case of FP, unnecessary surgeries with the associated morbidity and mortality.

Background: Transcutaneous point-shear wave elastography (p-SWE) performed using an acoustic radiation force impulse can be used to quantify pancreatic stiffness in chronic pancreatitis (CP). We aimed to evaluate its usefulness to diagnose and monitor CP., Methods: 175 participants were included in this prospective study including patients with CP (n = 65), liver cirrhosis (LC; n = 60), alcohol abuse (n = 10) and healthy controls (n = 40). Point-shear wave elastography of the pancreas was performed and quantified as median shear wave velocity (SWV). In the same way, p-SWE of the spleen served as a marker of portal hypertension. The M-ANNHEIM Severity score was used as global marker for disease activity in CP., Results: Compared to healthy controls, pancreatic SWV was significantly elevated in CP (1.38 vs. 0.96 m/s; p < 0.0001, MWU-test). Pancreatic SWV was increased in alcoholic CP but not in hereditary CP. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed 1.2 m/s as the optimal cut-off to identify non-heredity-CP subjects (90% specificity; 81% sensitivity; 92% positive predictive value). Pancreatic SWV correlated significantly with the M-ANNHEIM Severity score, severity of CP-typical complications (both p < 0.05, linear regression analysis), morphological changes of the pancreas and need for hospital treatment (both p < 0.05, MWU-test) but not with exocrine or endocrine insufficiency. Pancreatic SWV >1.7 m/s was identified to predict M-ANNHEIM Severity score ≥11 points. Pancreatic SWV was also elevated in LC (1.42 m/s; p < 0.001), correlating with increased splenic SWV., Conclusion: Transcutaneous pancreatic p-SWE represents a bedside, cost-effective and non-invasive tool which adds valuable information to the process of diagnosing and monitoring CP. By portal hypertension, an increased pancreatic SWV must be expected., (© 2024 The Authors. United European Gastroenterology Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of United European Gastroenterology.)

Background & Aim: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is used for the treatment of pancreatic duct stones (PDS) in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). We aimed to develop a CT based index to predict the required number of ESWL sessions for technical success., Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients with PDS secondary to CP who underwent ESWL. Technical success was defined as the complete fragmentation of stones to <3 mm. CT features including PDS size, number, location, and density in Hounsfield units (HU) were noted. We analyzed the relationship between PDS characteristics and the number of ESWL sessions required for technical success. A multiple linear regression model was used to combine size and density into the pancreatic duct stone (PDS) index that was translated into a web-based calculator., Results: There were 206 subjects (mean age 38.6 ± 13.7 years, 59.2% male) who underwent ESWL. PDS size showed a moderate correlation with the number of ESWL sessions (r = 0.42, p < 0.01). PDS in the head required a fewer number of sessions in comparison to those in the body (1.4 ± 0.6 vs. 1.6 ± 0.7, p = 0.01). There was a strong correlation between PDS density and the number of ESWL sessions (r = 0.617, p-value <0.01). The PDS index {0.3793 + [0.0009755 x PDS density (HU)] + [0.02549 x PDS size (mm)]} could accurately predict the required number of ESWL sessions with an AUC of 0.872 (p < 0.01)., Conclusion: The PDS index is a useful predictor of the number of ESWL sessions needed for technical success that can help in planning and patient counseling., (Copyright © 2024 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Diabetes mellitus type 3 refers to diabetes secondary to an existing disease or condition of the exocrine pancreas and is an uncommon cause of diabetes occurring due to pancreatogenic pathology. It accounts for 15-20% of diabetic patients in Indian and Southeast Asian continents. This is case report of a rare case of type 3 diabetes mellitus (T3DM) presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). The patient was admitted for DKA along with complaint of hyperglycemia, blood glucose of 405 mg/dl with HbA1c level of 13.7%. Computed tomography evidence revealed chronic calcific pancreatitis with intraductal calculi and dilated pancreatic duct., (© 2024 Gurusha Bahl et al., published by Sciendo.)

Background: Duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR) serves as a surgical intervention for managing benign and low-grade malignant neoplasms located in the head of the pancreas. This surgical approach enables the thorough excision of pancreatic head lesions, reducing the necessity for digestive tract reconstruction and enhancing the patient's quality of life. 1 Performing a minimally invasive DPPHR is a complex surgical procedure, particularly when safeguarding the bile duct and the pancreaticoduodenal arterial arch. Robotic surgery is among the latest innovations in minimally invasive surgery and is widely used in many surgical specialties. It offers advantages such as rotatable surgical instruments, muscle tremor filters and up to 10-15 times three dimensional (3D) visual field, 2 and achieves high flexibility and accuracy in surgical operations. Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging technology is also applied to provide real-time intraoperative assessment of the biliary system and blood supply, which helps maintain the biliary system's integrity. 3,4 We first report the complete procedure of ICG applied to the da Vinci robotic Xi system for preserving the DPPHR., Methods: A 48-year-old female patient was diagnosed with pancreatic duct stones, chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatogenic diabetes. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans revealed pancreatic head stones, pancreatic atrophy, scattered calcifications, and a dilated pancreatic duct. An attempt at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) treatment was abandoned during hospitalization due to unsuccessful catheterization. Following informed consent from the patient and her family, a robotic DPPHR was conducted utilizing ICG fluorescence imaging technology. Approximately 60 min before the surgery, 2 mg of ICG was injected via the peripheral vein. The individual was positioned in a reclined posture with the upper part of the bed raised to an angle of 30° and a leftward tilt of 15°. Upon entering the abdominal cavity, existing adhesions were meticulously separated and the gastrocolic ligament was opened to expose the pancreas. The lower part of the pancreas was separated and the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) was identified at the inferior boundary of the pancreatic neck. The pancreas was cut upward and the pancreatic duct was severed using scissors. Dissection of the lateral wall of the portal vein-SMV in the pancreatic head segment was performed. Meticulous dissection was carried out along the pancreatic tissue, retracting the uncinate process of the pancreas in an upward and rightward direction. During the dissection, caution was exercised to protect the anterior and posterior pancreaticoduodenal arterial arch. By using ICG fluorescence imaging, the path of the common bile duct was identified and verified. Caution was exercised to avoid injuring the bile duct. After isolating the CBD, the head and uncinate process of the pancreas was entirely excised. Under the fluorescence imaging mode, the wholeness of the CBD was scrutinized for any potential seepage of the contrast agent. Ultimately, a Roux-en-Y end-to-side pancreaticojejunostomy (duct to mucosa) was executed., Results: The surgery took 265 min and the estimated blood loss was about 150 mL. Without any postoperative complications, the patient was released from the hospital 13 days following the surgery. Postoperative pathology confirmed pancreatic duct stones and chronic pancreatitis. We have successfully performed four cases of robotic DPPHR using this technique, with only one patient experiencing a postoperative complication of pulmonary embolism. All patients were discharged successfully without any further complications., Conclusions: Employing ICG fluorescence imaging in a robotic DPPHR has been demonstrated to be both secure and achievable. This technique potentially provides novel therapeutic perspectives, particularly for patients with ambiguous delineation between pancreatic and biliary ductal structures., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Background/objective: Previous studies have demonstrated that sarcopenia is frequently observed in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). However, most studies have defined sarcopenia solely based on skeletal muscle (SM) loss, and muscle weakness such as grip strength (GS) reduction has not been considered. We aimed to clarify whether SM loss and reduced GS have different associations with clinical characteristics and pancreatic imaging findings in patients with CP., Methods: One hundred two patients with CP were enrolled. We defined SM loss by the SM index at the third lumbar vertebra on CT (<42 cm 2 /m 2 for males and <38 cm 2 /m 2 for females), and reduced GS by < 28 kg for males and <18 kg for females., Results: Fifty-seven (55.9 %) patients had SM loss, 21 (20.6 %) had reduced GS, and 17 (16.7 %) had both. Patients with SM loss had lower body mass index, weaker GS, higher Controlling Nutritional Status score, lower serum lipase level, and lower urinary para-aminobenzoic acid excretion rate, suggesting worse nutritional status and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. On CT, main pancreatic duct dilatation and parenchymal atrophy were more frequent in patients with SM loss than in those without it. Patients with reduced GS were older and had worse nutritional status than those without it., Conclusions: SM loss was associated with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, low nutritional status, and pancreatic imaging findings such as parenchymal atrophy and main pancreatic duct dilatation, whereas older age and low nutritional status led to additional reduced GS., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared., (Copyright © 2024 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Background and Aims: Lumbar vertebral bone attenuation, measured in Hounsfield units (HU) can indirectly indicate the bone mineral density (BMD). The aim of this study is to determine the optimal HU threshold on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans to detect osteopathy in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP)., Methods: This cross-sectional study included patients with CP who underwent CT scans to measure HU at L1 to L4 vertebrae. The mean lumbar vertebral attenuation of female renal transplant donors, aged 20-30 years was utilized to calculate the T-score HU of all patients at each vertebral level. Receiver operator characteristic analysis was used to determine the HU and T-score HU for diagnosis of osteopathy in patients with CP. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry value was used to categorize osteopenia and osteoporosis., Results: A total of 175 patients (mean age, 34.5 ± 10.9 years; 72 % males) and 33 female renal transplant donors (mean age, 28 ± 2.4 years) were included. A threshold HU value 212 or T score HU of -1.80 at L1 vertebra was found to have a 78 % sensitivity and 70 % specificity for differentiating between osteoporosis and non-osteoporosis (osteopenia and normal BMD). Similarly, a threshold HU value of 254 or a T-score HU of -0.46 at L1 vertebra had 78 % sensitivity and 71 % specificity for distinguishing between normal and low BMD (osteoporosis and osteopenia)., Conclusion: Abdominal CT images, which are routinely performed in chronic pancreatitis, can be used for opportunistic screening of osteoporosis and osteopenia without additional cost or radiation exposure., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors and principal investigator declare that they have no financial or other competing interests for the study., (Copyright © 2023 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: Inflammatory head mass of pancreas (IMP) developing in background of chronic pancreatitis (CP) is difficult to distinguish from carcinoma pancreas. We aimed to delineate natural course of IMP and predict their malignancy risk, avoiding unnecessary biopsies., Materials and Methods: In this retrospective single-center study, clinical records of patients with CP with diagnosed pancreatic head mass were reviewed. Clinical, laboratory, imaging, endoscopic findings, and follow-up details were retrieved from prospectively maintained database. A diagnostic nomogram was developed combining serum cancer antigen 19-9 and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) findings to predict the risk of malignancy., Results: We identified 107 patients with pancreatic head mass with CP of whom 87 (81.3%) were IMP and 20 (18.7%) were malignant. Patients with IMP were more frequently young males with alcohol-related CP and low CA 19-9 in comparison with those with malignancy (age IMP: 41.3 ± 11.3 vs carcinoma: 49.3 ± 14.5 years [ P = 0.009]; males 89.7% vs 65% [ P = 0.011]; alcoholic etiology: 71.3% vs 20% [ P < 0.001]; median CA 19-9: 25.78 [interquartile range, 7.20-120.60] vs 1034.50 [106.65-7808.25] [ P < 0.001]). A diagnostic nomogram combining CA 19-9 and EUS findings could identify malignancy with an optimism-corrected c-statistic of 0.905, which was better than both CA 19-9 (0.80) and EUS alone (0.826). Patients with IMP had relatively benign disease course with 40.2% biliary obstruction, 20.7% portal venous thrombosis, 14.9% gastric outlet obstruction, and 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival being 97.3%, 92.7%, and 92.0%, respectively. Surgery was required in only 12 patients (13.8%) with IMP., Conclusions: Combination of CA 19-9 and EUS best identifies malignancy risk in patients with IMP, who have otherwise benign course., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background/objectives: Pancreas volume derived from imaging may objectively reveal volume loss relevant to identifying sequelae of acute pancreatitis (AP) and ultimately diagnosing chronic pancreatitis (CP). The purposes of this study were to: (1) quantify pancreas volume by imaging in children with either (a) a single episode of AP or (b) acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP), and (2) compare these volumes to normative volumes., Methods: This retrospective study was institutional review board approved. A single observer segmented the pancreas (3D Slicer; slicer.org) on n = 30 CT and MRI exams for 23 children selected from a prospective registry of patients with either an index attack of AP or with ARP after a known index attack date. Patients with CP were excluded. Segmented pancreas volumes were compared to published normal values., Results: Mean pancreas volumes normalized to body surface area (BSA) in the index AP and ARP groups were 38.2 mL/m 2 (range: 11.8-73.5 mL/m 2 ) and 27.9 mL/m 2 (range: 8.0-69.2 mL/m 2 ) respectively. 43 % (6/14) of patients post-AP had volumes below the 25th percentile, 1 (17 %) of which was below the 5th percentile (p = 0.3027 vs. a normal distribution). Post-ARP, 44 % (7/16) of patients had volumes below the 5th percentile (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: A significant fraction (40 %) of children with ARP have pancreas volumes <5th percentile for BSA even in the absence of CP. A similar, but not statistically significant, fraction have pancreas volumes <25th percentile after an index attack of AP. Pancreatic parenchymal volume deserves additional investigation as an objective marker of parenchymal damage from acute pancreatitis and of progressive pancreatitis in children., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No relevant disclosures., (Copyright © 2023 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To investigate the co-existence of hepatic and pancreatic fibrosis using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in chronic pancreatitis (CP), including the association between hepatic and pancreatic MRE-derived stiffness and exploration of potential etiological risk factors., Materials and Methods: Fifty-four CP patients and 35 healthy controls underwent hepatic and pancreatic MRE with measurements of tissue stiffness. Clinical parameters including stage (probable or definite CP), etiology of CP, the presence of diabetes or exocrine insufficiency, and previous history of common bile duct stenosis were assessed. Uni- and multivariate regression models were used to investigate risk factors associated with hepatic fibrosis/stiffness in CP patients., Results: Fifteen percent of CP patients and none of the controls had abnormal liver stiffness (>2.5 kPa), p  = 0.02. 5.6% of CP patients had liver stiffness indicating F1 fibrosis (>2.93 kPa). However, hepatic stiffness was not higher in patients than in healthy controls (2.20 ± 0.41 vs 2.08 ± 0.21 kPa, p  = 0.10). In patients, a positive association was seen between hepatic and pancreatic stiffness ( r  = 0.270, p  = 0.048). In the multivariate analysis (adjusted for age, gender and BMI), liver stiffness was significantly associated with alcoholic etiology of CP ( p  = 0.029). In contrast, stage of CP, history of common bile duct stenosis, and the presence of diabetes or exocrine insufficiency were not associated with liver stiffness (all p  > 0.14)., Conclusions: Only a modest co-existence of hepatic and pancreatic fibrosis was observed in CP. However, the positive association between hepatic and pancreatic stiffness indicates some level of common pathophysiology. Especially, alcoholic etiology of CP was related to increased hepatic stiffness.

Background: Recurrent acute pancreatitis is a common acute abdominal disease in surgery., Objective: To evaluate the radiographic features of pancreatic computed tomography (CT) imaging in the diagnosis of acute and chronic pancreatitis., Methods: 48 pancreatitis patients who met the criteria were selected in this retrospective study from 2010 to 2019. Each diagnosis was evaluated as functional abdominal pain, recurrent acute pancreatitis, or chronic pancreatitis. All clinical data were collected from the patient's medical records. 54 radiological features were extracted from each region of interest in outline the pancreas and divided into five categories: first order statistics, the gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), the gray level run-length matrix (GLRLM), the neighborhood gray level difference matrix (NGTDM), and morphological features by the MATLAB program., Results: Of the 48 patients, 16 had functional abdominal pain (33.3%), 18 had recurrent acute pancreatitis (37.5%), and 14 had chronic pancreatitis (29.2%). In the univariate analysis, nine radiological features, eight GLCM features and one NGTDM feature were significantly different between groups. Nine radiological characteristics had important reference values with AUC values ranging from 0.73-0.91., Conclusion: Nine radiographic features of CT imaging demonstrate good evaluation efficiency in the diagnosis of pancreatitis and can distinguish patients with functional abdominal pain, recurrent acute pancreatitis, and chronic pancreatitis.

When a pancreatic plastic stent for symptomatic chronic pancreatitis breaks during its removal, severe pancreatic duct stenosis may complicate its retrieval. Takuma and colleagues report on the successful retrieval of a fragmented and displaced pancreatic plastic stent by applying the two-device-in-one-channel method using forceps and a snare., (© 2023 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.)

Background: Pseudoaneurysms of the abdominal aorta secondary to pancreatitis are an extremely rare clinical entity, however, can result in life threatening complications., Objective: To describe a chimney endovascular aneurysm repair (Ch-EVAR) for an acute pancreatitis related paravisceral aortic pseudoaneurym., Method: Prospective data collected from subject., Results: We present a case of 23-year-old female who underwent a successful salvage Ch-EVAR for a ruptured paravisceral pseudoaneurysm secondary to acute on chronic pancreatitis., Conclusion: Ch-EVAR may present a viable temporizing or definitive therapeutic treatment option for a paravisceral pseudoaneurysm, particularly in the setting of acute pancreatitis. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the long term viability of Ch-EVAR grafts in the suprarenal, paravisceral aortic position., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background and Aim: Apolipoprotein A2 (apoA2) isoforms have been reported to undergo the aberrant processing in pancreatic cancer and pancreatic risk populations compared with that in healthy subjects. This study aimed to clarify whether apoA2 isoforms were as useful as N-benzoyl-p-aminobenzoic acid (BT-PABA) test for exocrine pancreatic dysfunction markers in patients with early chronic pancreatitis (ECP)., Methods: Fifty consecutive patients with functional dyspepsia with pancreatic enzyme abnormalities (FD-P) (n = 18), with ECP (n = 20), and asymptomatic patients with pancreatic enzyme abnormalities (AP-P) (n = 12) based on the Rome IV classification and the Japan Pancreatic Association were enrolled in this study. The enrolled patients were evaluated using endoscopic ultrasonography and endoscopic ultrasonography elastography. Five pancreatic enzymes were estimated. Pancreatic exocrine function was analyzed using the BT-PABA test. Lighter and heavier apoA2 isoforms, AT and ATQ levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods., Results: There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics such as age, gender, body mass index, alcohol consumption and smoking among patients with AP-P, FD-P, and ECP. The BT-PABA test and lighter apoA2 isoform, AT level in the enrolled patients had a significant correlation (P < 0.01). The BT-PABA test in patients with ECP was significantly lower (P = 0.04) than that in AP-P. ApoA2-AT level in patients with ECP was lower than that in AP-P, albeit, insignificantly. Interestingly, apo A2-AT level was significantly (P = 0.041) associated with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency by multiple logistic regression analysis., Conclusions: ApoA2-AT level is a useful tool to evaluate exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in the early stage of chronic pancreatitis., (© 2023 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Purpose: Although endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has been widely used for diagnosing chronic pancreatitis (CP), the assessment of fibrosis using the Rosemont criteria (RC) is generally subjective. Shear wave elastography using EUS (EUS-SWE) has been advocated as an objective approach to evaluating pancreatic fibrosis; however, it is unknown which pancreatic region should be selected for measurement. This study aims to compare the diagnostic accuracy in diagnosing CP by measurement site., Methods: Fifty patients with CP or suspected CP who underwent EUS-SWE were retrospectively analyzed. As per the RC, they were classified into two groups: CP and non-CP. Pancreatic stiffness was evaluated by measuring the velocities of the shear wave (Vs) in addition to determining the relevant cutoff value of Vs for diagnosing CP. The correlation between Vs and RC, and the RC factors affecting pancreatic stiffness were evaluated., Results: In the CP group, the Vs were notably higher in all regions (P < 0.001). The Vs for diagnostic accuracy of CP were highest in the body [area under the curve (AUC): 0.87]. A significant correlation was seen between the number of RC and Vs in all regions, with the correlation coefficient being highest in the pancreatic body (rs = 0.55). Multivariate analysis revealed that lobularity with honeycombing was an independent factor for pancreatic stiffness (P = 0.02)., Conclusion: The pancreatic body is a suitable region for assessing pancreatic stiffness using EUS-SWE. Additionally, quantifying Vs is a valuable objective indicator for diagnosing CP., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japan Society of Ultrasonics in Medicine.)

Due to low incidence rate of pancreatic duct stones，Authoritative consensus has not been reached regarding therapeutic choices in clinical practice. This article reports the treatment of a young woman with chronic pancreatitis complicated with refractory multiple pancreatic duct stones, which provides clinical experience for treatment and provides a new way to study the pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis complicated with pancreatic duct stones.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background/aims: Groove pancreatitis is a rare form of focal pancreatitis that affects the groove area. Since groove pancreatitis may be mistaken for malignancy, it should be considered in patients with pancreatic head mass lesions or duodenal stenosis to avoid unnecessary surgical procedures. The aim of the study was to document the clinical, radiologic, endoscopic characteristics, and treatment outcomes of patients with groove pancreatitis., Materials and Methods: This retrospective multicenter observational study included all patients diagnosed with one or more imaging criteria suggestive of groove pancreatitis in the participating centers. Patients with proven malignant fine-needle aspiration/biopsy results were excluded. All patients were followed in their own centers and were retrospectively evaluated., Results: Out of the initially included 30 patients with imaging criteria suggestive of groove pancreatitis, 9 patients (30%) were excluded because of malignant endoscopic ultrasound fine-needle aspiration or biopsy results. The mean age of the included 21 patients was 49 ± 10.6 years, with a male predominance of 71%. There was a history of smoking in 66.7% and alcohol consumption in 76.2% of patients. The main endoscopic finding was gastric outlet obstruction observed in 16 patients (76%). There was duodenal wall thickening in 9 (42.8%), 5 (23.8%), and 16 (76.2%) patients on computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and endoscopic ultrasound, respectively. Moreover, pancreatic head enlargement/mass was observed in 10 (47.6%), 8 (38%), and 12 (57%) patients, and duodenal wall cysts in 5 (23.8%), 1 (4.8%), and 11 (52.4%) patients, respectively. Conservative and endoscopic treatment has achieved favorable outcomes in more than 90% of patients., Conclusions: Groove pancreatitis should be considered in any case with duodenal stenosis, duodenal wall cysts, or thickening of the groove area. Various imaging modalities, including computerized tomography, endoscopic ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging, have a valuable role in characterizing groove pancreatitis. However, endoscopic fine-needle aspiration or biopsy should be considered in all cases to diagnose groove pancreatitis and exclude malignancy, which can have similar findings.

Objectives: The Japan Pancreas Society introduced the concept of early chronic pancreatitis (ECP) in 2009, but its epidemiology remains unclear. This study investigated challenges in ECP diagnosis., Methods: Early chronic pancreatitis was diagnosed in 4 cohorts between April 2019 and November 2021 using the Clinical Diagnostic Criteria for Chronic Pancreatitis 2019. These cohorts included patients with abdominal/back pain, abnormal pancreatic enzyme levels, ECP suspected due to other reasons, and those who underwent endoscopic ultrasonography for other diseases., Results: A total of 2502 cases were analyzed and 150 (40 alcoholic and 110 nonalcoholic) cases with ECP findings on endoscopic ultrasonography were included. Early chronic pancreatitis was confirmed in 14 cases (9%), including 9 (22.5%) alcoholic and 5 (4.5%) nonalcoholic cases. Early chronic pancreatitis was confirmed in 15%, 0%, 2.2%, and 0.13% cases in the 4 cohorts, respectively. Early chronic pancreatitis was confirmed in 10 (48%) of the 21 (14%) cases with pancreatic pain., Conclusions: Early chronic pancreatitis diagnostic rate was low, particularly in nonalcoholic cases, but was slightly higher in cases with pancreatic pain. The diagnostic rate was highest in the abdominal/back pain group. Further studies are required to establish appropriate diagnostic criteria for ECP., Competing Interests: H.I. has received research grant from Fujifilm Co, Ltd, Boston Scientific Japan Co, Ltd, Eisai Co, Ltd, and Gilead Sciences Co, Ltd, and lecture fee from Fujifilm Co, Ltd, and scholarship donation from Taiho Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd, Gadelius Medical Co, Ltd, and Boston Scientific Japan Co, Ltd. The other authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To develop and validate a radiomics nomogram based on a fully automated pancreas segmentation to assess pancreatic exocrine function. Furthermore, we aimed to compare the performance of the radiomics nomogram with the pancreatic flow output rate (PFR) and conclude on the replacement of secretin-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (S-MRCP) by the radiomics nomogram for pancreatic exocrine function assessment., Methods: All participants underwent S-MRCP between April 2011 and December 2014 in this retrospective study. PFR was quantified using S-MRCP. Participants were divided into normal and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) groups using the cut-off of 200 µg/L of fecal elastase-1. Two prediction models were developed including the clinical and non-enhanced T1-weighted imaging radiomics model. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to develop the prediction models. The models' performances were determined based on their discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility., Results: A total of 159 participants (mean age [Formula: see text] standard deviation, 45 years [Formula: see text] 14;119 men) included 85 normal and 74 PEI. All the participants were divided into a training set comprising 119 consecutive patients and an independent validation set comprising 40 consecutive patients. The radiomics score was an independent risk factor for PEI (odds ratio = 11.69; p < 0.001). In the validation set, the radiomics nomogram exhibited the highest performance (AUC, 0.92) in PEI prediction, whereas the clinical nomogram and PFR had AUCs of 0.79 and 0.78, respectively., Conclusion: The radiomics nomogram accurately predicted pancreatic exocrine function and outperformed pancreatic flow output rate on S-MRCP in patients with chronic pancreatitis., Key Points: • The clinical nomogram exhibited moderate performance in diagnosing pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. • The radiomics score was an independent risk factor for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, and every point rise in the rad-score was associated with an 11.69-fold increase in pancreatic exocrine insufficiency risk. • The radiomics nomogram accurately predicted pancreatic exocrine function and outperformed the clinical model and pancreatic flow output rate quantified by secretin-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography on MRI in patients with chronic pancreatitis., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Society of Radiology.)

Introduction: A dilatation of the main pancreatic duct (MPD) is mainly due to obstructive causes (pancreatic tumor, chronic pancreatitis) or intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). This study aims to assess the risk of pre-malignancy or malignancy in case of MPD dilatation with no visible mass nor obstructive calcification on computed tomography scan (CT-scan) in a population operated for it., Patients and Methods: All patients operated on from November 2015 to December 2019 in our center for a significant dilatation of the MPD without visible obstructive cause on CT-scan were included. Preoperative work-up included at least CT-scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). Primary endpoint was the final pathological diagnosis. Secondary endpoints were predictive factors of malignancy., Results: 101 patients were included, mean age 68 years-old. Final pathological data were pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n = 2), IPMN with high-grade dysplasia (n = 37), high-grade Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia (PanIN) (n = 2) (total of pre-malignant or malignant lesions: n = 41), neuroendocrine tumor (n = 6), IPMN with low-grade dysplasia (n = 45), low-grade PanIN (n = 5), chronic pancreatitis (n = 3), and benign stenosis (n = 1). On preoperative explorations, the median diameter of MPD was 7 mm [3-35]. MRI and/or EUS showed intraductal material, nodule, or cyst in 22, 32, and 52 patients, respectively; 22 patients without nodule visible on MRI or EUS had still a pre-malignant or malignant lesion. In multivariate analysis, predictive factors for pre-malignancy or malignancy were symptoms before surgery (p = 0.01), MPD dilatation without downstream stenosis (p = 0.046), and the presence of nodule (p = 0.009)., Conclusion: A dilatation of the MPD without detectable mass or obstructive calcification on CT-scan was associated with a pre-malignant or malignant lesion in 41 patients. Symptoms before surgery, MPD dilatation without duct narrowing, and the presence of nodules on MRI/EUS were associated with the risk of  pre-malignancy or malignancy., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: This study aimed to clarify whether any risk factors including clinical characteristics, endosonographic features, and exocrine pancreatic dysfunction may be useful for a predictive factor for patients with early chronic pancreatitis., Methods: A total of 163 consecutive patients that presented with functional dyspepsia with pancreatic enzyme abnormalities (FD-P) (n = 46), early chronic pancreatitis (ECP) (n = 47), and asymptomatic patients with pancreatic enzyme abnormalities (AP-P) (n = 70) based on the Rome III classification and the Japan Pancreatic Association were included in this study. The enrolled patients were evaluated using endosonography (EUS) and EUS elastography. The levels of the five pancreatic enzymes were measured. Pancreatic exocrine function was analyzed using N-benzoyl-l-tyrosyl-p-aminobenzoic acid (BT-PABA)., Results: There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics such as age, gender, body mass index, alcohol consumption, and smoking among patients with AP-P, FD-P, and ECP. The ratio of BT-PABA test less than 35% in patients with ECP was significantly (P = 0.043) higher than in AP-P patients. Elastic score was a useful tool to differentiate the FD-P group from the ECP group. The high-density cholesterol levels in patients with ECP were significantly lower than those in AP-P. In addition, the combination of total and high-density cholesterol levels, BT-PABA test, and elastic score has a higher area under the curve value (0.708) of patients with ECP than in the other groups., Conclusions: The combination of high-density cholesterol levels, elastic score, and severity of exocrine pancreatic dysfunction may be useful for a predictive factor for patients with ECP., (© 2022 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Background: Non-invasive modalities for assessing chronic pancreatitis (CP) are needed in clinical practice., Purpose: To investigate the correlation between magnetic resonance elastography (MRE)-derived stiffness and T1 relaxation times (as proxies of fibrosis) and explore their relationships to gland volume and pancreatic functions in patients with CP and healthy controls (HCs)., Material and Methods: In 49 patients with CP and 35 HCs, pancreatic stiffness, T1 relaxation times, and gland volume were assessed. Fecal elastase and the presence of diabetes were used to evaluate pancreatic exocrine and endocrine functions. Uni- and multivariable linear regression models were used to analyze correlations between imaging parameters., Results: There was a positive correlation between MRE-derived stiffness and T1 relaxation times in patients with CP (R 2  = 0.42; P  < 0.001) and HCs (R 2  = 0.14; P  = 0.028). There was no correlation between MRE-derived stiffness and gland volume in patients (R 2  = 0.007; P  = 0.065) or HCs (R 2  = 0.010; P  = 0.57). T1 relaxation time was correlated to gland volume (R 2  = 0.19; P  = 0.002) in patients with CP but not in the HCs ( P  = 0.056). Severity of pancreatic functional impairment was reflected by increased fibrosis-related parameters in patients without functional impairment, followed by a further increase in fibrosis-related parameters and reduction in gland volume in patients with pancreatic functional impairments., Conclusion: Pancreatic MRE-derived stiffness and T1 relaxation times might reflect early pathophysiological changes in CP. The dynamic correlation with pancreatic function suggests that these parameters may be useful for the non-invasive and early identification of CP.

Background/purpose: Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a clinical method used to evaluate liver hardness. In this study, we assessed its applicability in assessing the pancreas and its potential for diagnosing chronic pancreatitis., Methods: We performed SWE on 59 patients who underwent abdominal ultrasound, and measured the computed tomography (CT) values of the pancreas. Patients were classified as having a normal pancreas (NP), early chronic pancreatitis (ECP), or chronic pancreatitis (CP). SW elasticity (SWe), SW dispersion (SWd), and CT values between groups were analyzed., Results: SWe significantly differed between the CP and NP/ECP groups (NP vs CP; P = 0.001, ECP vs CP; P = 0.026,), while SWd showed a significant difference only between the NP and CP group (NP vs CP; P = 0.001). The CT values were significantly different between the CP and NP/ECP groups (NP vs CP; P = 0.0006, ECP vs CP; P = 0.0027)., Conclusion: Pancreatic SWE and CT values were helpful in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. SWd may reveal status changes in ECP., (© 2022 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.)

Purpose: The study aimed to determine the performance of advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including a multiparametric MRI-index, for diagnosing and severity grading of chronic pancreatitis (CP) at various functional stages with focus on detection of CP with preserved pancreatic function., Methods: Fifty-four CP patients and 35 healthy controls underwent MRI including assessment of pancreatic volume, main pancreatic duct (MPD) diameter, T1 relaxation time, magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) derived stiffness, and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted imaging. Patients were categorized into three subgroups: Preserved pancreatic function (n = 14), partial pancreatic insufficiency (exocrine insufficiency or diabetes, n = 25), and complete pancreatic insufficiency (exocrine insufficiency and diabetes, n = 15). A multiparametric MRI-index was based on ordinal logistic regression analysis. Diagnostic performances of MRI parameters for diagnosing CP at different functional stages were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis., Results: All MRI parameters differed across CP subgroups and healthy controls (all P < 0.001), except for IVIM. T1 relaxation time (ROC area under the curve (ROC-AUC) 0.82), MRE (ROC-AUC 0.88), and MRI-index (ROC-AUC 0.86) showed the highest performance for detecting patients with preserved pancreatic function (early CP) vs. healthy controls. For detecting preserved pancreatic function vs. partial insufficiency, pancreatic volume, MRI-index, and T1 relaxation time performed best (all ROC-AUC > 0.75), with the MRI-index tending to outperform MRE (ROC-AUC 0.77 vs. 0.63; P = 0.10)., Conclusion: Quantitative assessments of T1 relaxation time and MRE-derived stiffness seem promising for diagnosing CP at different functional stages and may together with multiparametric MRI-index be used for early identification, staging and monitoring of CP., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

BACKGROUND : There are several types of pancreatic mass, so it is important to distinguish between them before treatment. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a mathematical technique that automates learning and recognition of data patterns. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of our AI model using endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) images of multiple types of pancreatic mass (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma [PDAC], pancreatic adenosquamous carcinoma [PASC], acinar cell carcinoma [ACC], metastatic pancreatic tumor [MPT], neuroendocrine carcinoma [NEC], neuroendocrine tumor [NET], solid pseudopapillary neoplasm [SPN], chronic pancreatitis, and autoimmune pancreatitis [AIP]). METHODS : Patients who underwent EUS were included in this retrospective study. The included patients were divided into training, validation, and test cohorts. Using these cohorts, an AI model that can distinguish pancreatic carcinomas from noncarcinomatous pancreatic lesions was developed using a deep-learning architecture and the diagnostic performance of the AI model was evaluated. RESULTS : 22 000 images were generated from 933 patients. The area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy (95 %CI) of the AI model for the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinomas in the test cohort were 0.90 (0.84-0.97), 0.94 (0.88-0.98), 0.82 (0.68-0.92), and 0.91 (0.85-0.95), respectively. The per-category sensitivities (95 %CI) of each disease were PDAC 0.96 (0.90-0.99), PASC 1.00 (0.05-1.00), ACC 1.00 (0.22-1.00), MPT 0.33 (0.01-0.91), NEC 1.00 (0.22-1.00), NET 0.93 (0.66-1.00), SPN 1.00 (0.22-1.00), chronic pancreatitis 0.78 (0.52-0.94), and AIP 0.73 (0.39-0.94). CONCLUSIONS : Our developed AI model can distinguish pancreatic carcinomas from noncarcinomatous pancreatic lesions, but external validation is needed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Chronic alcohol consumption is a well-known etiological factor for both chronic pancreatitis (CP) and liver cirrhosis. However, there is discussion over how often these two entities are present together in the same patient. The main goal of our study is to establish the prevalence of CP and low fecal elastase (FE-1) in patients with decompensated liver disease (DLD). In addition, we aim to identify the demographic, epidemiological and clinical factors associated with EPI and CP in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. This was an observational single-center study including 119 consecutive patients hospitalized for acute decompensation of cirrhosis, mostly of alcoholic etiology. Patients underwent computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the radiological features of CP. We also performed two FE-1 tests and complete blood tests to assess the presence of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) and nutritional status, including micronutrients. The results of our study show that 32 patients (26.9%) had low fecal elastase suggesting EPI and 11 (9.2%) had CP. Patients meeting radiological CP criteria had lower FE-1 than patients without CP. There were no statistically significant differences in micronutrient deficiencies according to the presence of CP or not. Likewise, we did not find any statistically significant differences in micronutrient deficiencies among patients with normal and low FE-1 indicative of EPI. FE-1 alone may not be suitable for assessing EPI in patients with acute DLD. Detecting co-existing pancreatic disease may be important in a subset of patients with DLD, when the FE-1 levels are significantly low, potentially suggestive of a pancreatic anomaly. Moreover, the clinical manifestations of EPI and CP are not useful in detecting CP in DLD patients. Likewise, CP cannot explain all causes of EPI in these patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Purpose: The need for incorporation of quantitative imaging biomarkers of pancreatic parenchymal and ductal structures has been highlighted in recent proposals for new scoring systems in chronic pancreatitis (CP). To quantify inter- and intra-observer variability in CT-based measurements of ductal- and gland diameters in CP patients., Materials and Methods: Prospectively acquired pancreatic CT examinations from 50 CP patients were reviewed by 12 radiologists and four pancreatologists from 10 institutions. Assessment entailed measuring maximum diameter in the axial plane of four structures: (1) pancreatic head (PDhead), (2) pancreatic body (PDbody), (3) main pancreatic duct in the pancreatic head (MPDhead), and (4) body (MPDbody). Agreement was assessed by the 95% limits of agreement with the mean (LOAM), representing how much a single measurement for a specific subject may plausibly deviate from the mean of all measurements on the specific subject. Bland-Altman limits of agreement (LoA) were generated for intra-observer pairs., Results: The 16 observers completed 6400 caliper placements comprising a first and second measurement session. The widest inter-observer LOAM was seen with PDhead (± 9.1 mm), followed by PDbody (± 5.1 mm), MPDhead (± 3.2 mm), and MPDbody (± 2.6 mm), whereas the mean intra-observer LoA width was ± 7.3, ± 5.1, ± 3.7, and ± 2.4 mm, respectively., Conclusion: Substantial intra- and inter-observer variability was observed in pancreatic two-point measurements. This was especially pronounced for parenchymal and duct diameters of the pancreatic head. These findings challenge the implementation of two-point measurements as the foundation for quantitative imaging scoring systems in CP., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: The aim: To conduct a comparative analysis of parameters of the structural and functional state of the liver and pancreas in patients with chronic pancreatitis in comorbidity with treated etiologically chronic viral hepatitis C, depending on the results of testing according to the international CAGE questionnaire., Patients and Methods: Materials and methods: 100 ambulatory patients with CP with concomitant HCV, treated etiotropically, were examined. All patients were examined ac-cording to generally accepted algorithms. To establish the role of alcohol on the formation of CP and the condition of patients with treated HCV, latent craving for alcohol was verified using the international CAGE questionnaire. The study of the density of the liver parenchyma and the liver of the patients was carried out not only according to the ultrasound data in the B-mode, but also with the simultaneous measurement of the shear wave elastography (SWE) method on the Ultima PA scanning ultrasound device with the further determination of the median of the parameters, which characterizes the stiffness in kilopascals (kPa). Determination of the presence and depth of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) was carried out by the content of fecal elastase-1 (FE-1), which was determined by the enzyme immunoassay method., Results: Results: Screening-testing of patients with CP on the background of etiotropically treated HCV using the CAGE scale made it possible to state that 65.0% of such patients had a hidden craving for alcohol, and 21.0% of this cohort were women, which needs to be taken into account in the management of such patients. It has been proven that in the group of patients with CAGE≥2.0, the level of functional and structural changes in the liver and liver was significantly more severe (according to the deepening of the PEI, a decrease in fecal α-elastase by 13.01%, according to an increase in the total index of the coprogram by 15.11% and the total US-indicator of the pancreas structure by 28.06%, and the total US-indicator of the liver structure - by 40.68% (p<0.05) and corresponded to the average degree of severity of the process in panceas according to the criteria of the Marseille-Cambridge classification, and in the group with CAGE<2.0 - only a mild degree., Conclusion: Conclusions: The negative effect of the factor of increased alcohol use according to CAGE was proven by increasing the density of the echostructure of the liver by 5.73% (p<0.05), and the liver by 5.16% (p<0.05). According to the results of the correlation analysis of the dependence of the structural state of the liver and PW of the studied patients on the value of the CAGE scale, which was R=0.713, p<0.05, and R=0.686, p<0.05, respectively, it was established that there is a strong direct dependence of the structural state of the liver and PW from the value of the CAGE questionnaire, which proved an independent, reliably significant role of alcohol consumption for patients with a comorbid course of CP and HCV.