Criteria for the Selection of Diagnostic Signs of Chronic Pancreatitis with Obstruction of the Main Pancreatic Duct
Authors: Propp Alexander R , Degovtsov Evgeny Nikolaevich 
Published: January 2021

Introduction. Clinical outcomes of surgery for patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), considering low rates of 10-year survival, are often unsatisfying for surgeons. Due to the absence of common diagnostic criteria, especially at an early stage of the disease, patients of young and working age undergo surgery at different periods and with different methods. The development of optimal criteria for the selection of diagnostic signs of chronic pancreatitis will improve treatment outcomes.The aim of the study is 1) to perform a comparative assessment of the informative value of methods that specify diagnostics of CP with obstruction of the main pancreatic duct; 2) to develop criteria for the selection of diagnostic signs to highlight the main types of structural changes in the pancreas in chronic pancreatitis with obstruction of the main pancreatic duct.Materials and methods. The study included radiological findings of 231 patients with CP with obstruction of the main pancreatic duct operated from 1996 to 2018 in Omsk regional surgical hospital. X-ray investigations were performed in 120 patients, ultrasound investigations were performed in 231 patients, multislice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) was performed in 226 patients, MRI was performed in 18 patients, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed in 22 patients and angiography was performed in 5 patients. All patients were divided into two groups: control (n ​​= 88, until 2008) and case (n = 143, after 2008), where new methods of surgery were used and the structure of the applied diagnostic methods has been changed.Results. Ultrasound sensitivity was 74.5%, fistulography/virsungography sensitivity was 80%, MSCT sensitivity was 97.8%, MRI sensitivity was 88.9% and ERPC sensitivity was 95.5%. The use of invasive diagnostic methods in the main group of patients was minimized with the priority of MSCT. The main criteria for the selection of diagnostic signs of CP were determined as follows: obstruction of the main pancreatic duct (with localization at the level of the pancreatic head exclusively or along its entire length), dilatation of the main pancreatic duct (more than 3 mm), local damage to the pancreatic head with an increase in its size over 32 mm, cystic formations (more than 5 mm) in the projection of any part of the pancreas. The main types of structural changes in the pancreas were identified as follows: 1. CP with obstruction of the main pancreatic duct at the level of the pancreatic head exclusively; 2. CP with obstruction of the main pancreatic duct along its entire length with an increase in the size of the pancreatic head; 3. CP with obstruction of the main pancreatic duct along its entire length without an increase in the size of the pancreatic head.Conclusion. 1) MSCT has the highest sensitivity in CP diagnostics (98.6%). MRI (Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP)) complements MSCT and replaces it in case of patients intolerance to contrast media. Indications for ERCP should be minimized. 2) The designed criteria for the selection of diagnostic signs of CP will optimize diagnostics of chronic pancreatitis with obstruction of the main pancreatic duct and highlight the main types of structural changes in the pancreas, the fact being important for validation of surgical treatment methods and techniques.