Pancreatic pseudocyst with mediastinal extension and pleural effusion. Demonstration of pathologic anatomy by endoscopic pancreatography

Surgical Management of a Pancreaticopleural Fistula After Failed Endoscopic Therapy

Inflammatory diseases of the pancreas or pancreatic trauma result in ductal cell disruption, which in turn may lead to leakage of pancreatic fluid, mostly in the retroperitoneal space. Pancreatopleural fistulas are uncommonly encountered following pancreatic injury; however, they often prove a difficult problem to manage.

Herein, we present a rare case of a 68-year-old male suffering from a pancreaticopleural fistula (PF) between the pancreatic tail and the left pleural space one year following splenectomy for trauma. About three months after percutaneous drainage of a left pleural effusion and left upper quadrant abdominal collection and endoscopic pancreatic duct stent placement, surgical management was decided. Distal pancreatectomy and Roux-en-Y drainage of the pancreatic remnant were successfully performed.

Internal pancreatic fistulas: proposal of a management algorithm based on a case series analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Internal pancreatic fistulas (IPF) are an uncommon but well-recognized complication of chronic pancreatitis (CP) that are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Because of their low incidence, management is still controversial. The aims of this study are to report the 8-year experience with IPF management in a Brazil University-affiliated hospital and to propose a management algorithm.

STUDY

A centralized diagnostic index was used to retrospectively identify all patients with IPF admitted to a teaching hospital from 1995 to 2003. The patient's medical records were reviewed for clinical features, diagnostic work-up, treatment strategies, response to therapy, and the length of hospital stay. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, to guide the therapeutic modality to be offered. Conservative therapy included withholding of oral feedings in conjunction with total parenteral nutrition, octreotide subcutaneously, and multiple paracentesis or thoracentesis. Interventional therapy was either endoscopic or surgical.

RESULTS

IPF was identified in 11 (7.3%) of 150 patients with CP. They ranged in age from 24 to 47 years (mean 36.1), with a male to female ratio of 10:1. All patients had underlying alcoholic CP. The presentation was pancreatic ascites in 9 patients and pleural effusion in 2 cases. Five patients were undergoing the conservative treatment, all presenting main pancreatic duct (MPD) dilatation; endoscopic placement of transpapillary pancreatic duct stent was performed in 4 patients who presented partial MPD stricture or disruption; surgical therapy was performed in 2 patients exhibiting complete MPD obstruction or disruption. Stents were removed 3 to 6 weeks after initial placement. IPF resolved in 10 of 11 patients (90.9%) within 6 weeks. The resolution of IPF was faster (13 +/- 5 vs. 25 +/- 13 days, P < 0.01) and the length of hospital stay was significantly shorter (17.2 +/- 5.6 vs. 31.2 +/- 4.4 days, P < 0.01) in patients subject to interventional treatment compared with those treated conservatively. There was 1 death due to sepsis in a patient managed conservatively; no death was recorded in the interventional therapy group. There was no recurrence of IPF at a mean follow-up of 38 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that interventional therapy should be considered the best approach for the management of IPF in patients presenting MPD disruption or obstruction. Conservative therapy must be reserved for those showing MPD dilatation without ductal disruption or stricture. Early interventional therapy reduced hospital stay and convalescence, which likely resulted in lower healthcare overall costs.

Internal pancreatic fistulas with pancreatic ascites and pancreatic pleural effusions: recognition and management

BACKGROUND

Internal pancreatic fistulas are well recognized complications of chronic pancreatitis.

METHODS

Six patients with internal pancreatic fistulas were treated over a period of 5 years from 1995 to 1999. Four patients presented with ascites, one patient presented with ascites and bilateral pleural effusion and the sixth patient presented with left-sided pleural effusion. Five patients were chronic alcoholics and in one patient the cause of pancreatitis was not clear. Although the serum amylase was mildly elevated the levels of amylase in the aspirated fluid were consistently elevated (more than 800 Somogyi units/100 mL), along with the level of proteins (> or = 3 g/100 mL), and on this basis the diagnosis was made. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) demonstrated pancreatic ductal disruption in four cases. Initial treatment was conservative, consisting of nasogastric aspiration, nil per oral, antisecretory drugs, repeated paracentesis or thoracocenthesis and total parenteral nutrition (TPN). In two patients naso-pancreatic drains (NPD) were placed across the disrupted pancreatic duct.

RESULTS

In one patient conservative treatment with NPD was successful, and the remaining five patients required surgical intervention. There was no mortality. Two patients developed surgery-related complications that were successfully managed, but they required an extended hospital stay.

CONCLUSION

Internal pancreatic fistulas should be treated initially non-operatively; if this is not effective, operative therapy should be considered without delay.

Thoracopancreatic fistula: clinical and imaging findings

PURPOSE

The goal of this work was to describe the clinical and imaging features of thoracopancreatic fistula, a rare complication of pancreatitis.

METHOD

Nine cases of thoracopancreatic fistula proved by thoracentesis, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), or surgery were retrospectively and independently reviewed by two abdominal radiologists. All available imaging examinations [chest radiographs = 9, CT = 9, MR and MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) = 2, and ERCP = 6] were analyzed, and findings were recorded on a standardized datasheet. Available medical records (n = 7) were reviewed to determine the clinical presentation of the patients and thoracentesis results.

RESULTS

Seven of the nine patients presented with pulmonary symptoms such as dyspnea or cough. Of the seven patients with pleural fluid analysis, all demonstrated elevated amylase levels (mean 13,007 U/L). Imaging examinations revealed pancreaticopleural fistulas in six patients, a mediastinal pseudocyst in one patient, and both a pancreaticopleural fistula and a mediastinal pseudocyst in two patients. Chest radiography showed pleural fluid collections in eight patients. CT demonstrated a fluid-containing fistula in all nine patients. MR and MRCP depicted a fistula extending from the abdomen to the pleural space in the two patients with MR correlation. ERCP showed pancreatic ductal changes characteristic of chronic pancreatitis in the six patients with ERCP correlation but failed to demonstrate the fistula in two of the six patients.

CONCLUSION

The CT, MR, MRCP, or ERCP finding of a fluid-filled tract extending from the pancreas to the thorax is characteristic of a thoracopancreatic fistula, particularly when identified in a patient who presents with pulmonary symptoms and a history of chronic pancreatitis.

Pancreaticopleural fistula: demonstration by computed tomography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Pancreaticopleural fistula is an uncommon complication of chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic trauma. Clinical features include pleural effusion and resulting pulmonary symptoms. Abdominal pain and other clinical manifestations of pancreatitis may be minimal or absent. As in this case, computed tomography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography may provide complementary diagnostic information in the evaluation of this condition. A discussion of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of pancreaticopleural fistula is presented.

CT of mediastinal pancreatic fluid collections

Mediastinal extension of an extrapancreatic fluid collection is a rare event. Only 30 cases have been previously reported in the literature. An additional case is presented. In the appropriate clinical setting, plain film and contrast examination of the esophagus and stomach may suggest the diagnosis. While ultrasound may identify supradiaphragmatic extension of fluid, computed tomography is better able to demonstrate the nature and extent of a mediastinal extrapancreatic fluid collection. Preoperatively it is important to recognize that a mediastinal mass represents an extrapancreatic fluid collection because the preferred surgical approach is abdominal.