Necrotizing pancreatitis: looking back at new frontiers
Authors:   , Hollemans Robbert Anne 
Published: January 2025

Chapter 1: General introduction on acute nacrotizing pancreatitis and the studies in the thesis.

Chapter 2: Acute pancreatitis is a complicated disease with unpredictable outcomes that can lead to serious complications, including pancreatic necrosis, infection, organ failure, and death. In cases of infected necrosis, catheter drainage has been recommended as the first treatment. Many patients will then need additional surgery known as necrosectomy. Traditionally, this has been done through open surgery, but there is a growing trend toward less invasive methods, which have shown better outcomes according to recent studies.

Chapter 3: Following catheter drainage, a significant number of patients, about 35-50%, may recover without needing further surgery. A study involving 130 patients aimed to identify characteristics that predict successful drainage. Factors such as male sex, organ failure, the extent of pancreatic necrosis, and collection characteristics were found to influence success rates. A nomogram based on these factors was created to predict the likelihood of successful drainage, aiding clinical decision-making and patient counseling.

Chapter 4: Necrosectomy can be performed through open surgery, minimally invasive surgical methods, or endoscopic techniques. However, there is limited research comparing these methods, particularly regarding mortality rates. An international project studied 1980 patients and found that minimally invasive methods were associated with lower death rates compared to open surgery, especially in high-risk groups. These findings support the benefits of using a less invasive approach to treatment.

Chapter 5: The pancreas serves critical functions, one of them being digestive enzyme secretion; i.e. the exocrine function of the pancreas. Acute pancreatitis can result in permanent damage leading to pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, which may cause symptoms like indigestion and weight loss. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 1495 patients from 32 studies found that around 27% of patients develop pancreatic insufficiency following acute pancreatitis and severity of disease and etiology of pancreatitis are important predictors of exocrine insufficiency. The study indicated the need for careful follow-up, even for patients with mild disease.

Chapter 6 discusses the results of a long-term follow-up study of 88 patients with infected necrotizing pancreatitis randomized to a minimally invasive step-up treatment approach or a direct open necrosectomy approach. After a mean follow-up of 86 months, significantly fewer patients in the minimally invasive step-up group experienced complications such as hernias or pancreatic insufficiency. Overall, the step-up approach proved to be superior to open necrosectomy, also in de long-term follow-up.

Chapter 7: A follow-up study of 373 patients with necrotizing pancreatitis was done more than 10 years following index admission. The study is unique as the patients comprise the entire scope of necrotizing pancreatitis and focus is mainly on conservatively treated patients. The study found that 26% of patients were readmitted for pancreatitis, with 13% needing drainage. Patients treated conservatively had fewer surgeries and less pancreatic insufficiency. Quality of life was similar across treatment groups.