How should chronic calcifying pancreatitis be managed?
Type de matériel :
25
Chronic calcifying pancreatitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pancreas which leads to the development of parenchymal and ductal fibrosis. The main cause is chronic alcoholism. From its lesions arise symptoms and acute and chronic complications that mark the disease’s evolution, which takes place over a fifteen-to-twenty-year period. In addition to the clinical and paraclinical check-ups required for acute complications, the GI specialist must ensure there is long-term follow-up. They are supported by several practitioners from different specialties, reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of this disease. At the clinical level, a six-monthly consultation addresses the problem of chronic pain (type, development, treatment, opiate medications, dependency), nutritional status, alcohol and tobacco consumption, signs of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (weight, diarrhea) and diabetes, as well as complications related to chronic alcohol and tobacco consumption. Biologically, exocrine insufficiency is detected by measuring fecal elastase (annually), and diabetes by measuring glycated hemoglobin every six months. It is also necessary to monitor serum albumin levels; hydroelectrolytic, renal, and hepatic parameters; and vitamin D levels. Imaging (cholangiopancreatography MRI and/or CT scan) is necessary in case of complications or new symptoms. It should be undertaken systematically over the long term to detect the occurrence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, particularly in cases of hereditary chronic pancreatitis (imaging every year or two depending on the cause of the pancreatitis). If there is any doubt, an endoscopic ultrasound with a biopsy completes this assessment. Treatment therefore needs to be adapted with analgesics, pancreatic extracts, oral antidiabetics, or insulin, or in certain cases a therapeutic endoscopy at a specialist center may even be discussed as an option. This multidisciplinary approach involves the general practitioner, diabetologist, psychiatrist, addictologist, algologist, biliary and pancreatic endoscopist, and sometimes even the pancreatic surgeon.
Réseaux sociaux