Chronic Pancreatitis

Abstract

Chronic pancreatitis is a disease of diverse etiologies in which pain can be devastating, severely impairing quality of life, and treatment is a challenge. This book covers cutting edge basic science research and clinical diagnosis and treatment issues in chronic pancreatitis. Basic science chapters include studies on amelioration of chronic pancreatitis in rats by bone marrow derived mesenchymal cells; on gene therapy using HSV-Enkephalin to reduce fibrosis, inflammation and pain in a rats; and on pancreatic acinar and island neogenesis according to vascular and matrix dynamics of human and animal tissue. In regard to the clinical aspects, the role of endoscopic ultrasound in detecting the changes of chronic pancreatitis are addressed as well as the endoscopic treatment via duct drainage procedures or stone removal. Finally, the surgical options for chronic pancreatitis (there are well over 20 procedures) are extensively discussed, with a final chapter on total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplant to definitively remove the root cause of the pain with preservation of endocrine function. This book will be valued by basic scientists and clinicians striving to understand the mechanisms of pain in chronic pancreatitis and the treatment options in patients so afflicted.