Severe acute pancreatitis and pregnancy

A retrospective study of pregnant patients with acute pancreatitis

OBJECTIVE

Acute pancreatitis is a rare disease in pregnant patients. Although it may have serious maternal and fetal consequences, morbidity and mortality rates have decreased recently due to appropriate and rapid treatment with earlier diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate pregnant patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.

METHODS

The study included pregnant patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis who were admitted to Adana City Training and Research Hospital in Adana, Turkey, between January 2014 and January 2022. Patients' files were screened. Patients' demographics, acute pancreatitis etiology, severity, complications, and applied treatment, as well as maternal and fetal outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS

The study included 65 pregnant patients with acute pancreatitis. The mean age was 26.6±5 (19-41) years. Acute pancreatitis was observed in the third trimester. The most common cause of acute pancreatitis was gallstones, and its severity was often mild. Only two patients required endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and the remaining patients were treated medically. Maternal and infant death developed in a patient with necrotizing acute pancreatitis secondary to hyperlipidemia.

CONCLUSION

The most common etiology of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy was gallstones. Acute pancreatitis occurred in the third trimester. Most of the patients had mild acute pancreatitis. Maternal and fetal complications were rare. We think that the reasons for the low mortality rate were mild disease severity and biliary etiology, and most patients were in the third trimester, as well as early diagnosis and no delay in the intervention.

Acute Pancreatitis in Pregnancy: A Ten-Year Noninterventional, Retrospective Cohort Experience

Background

The study is aimed at evaluating the clinical attributes, types, and risk factors associated with poor outcomes in women with acute pancreatitis (AP) during pregnancy.

Methods

From 2011 to 2020, 45 antenatal mothers with AP were included in this noninterventional, retrospective study. The correlation between etiology of AP, its severity, biochemical parameters, length of stay, and treatment was analyzed. Based on the presence of organ failure and systemic complications, the severity of AP was classified according to the revised Atlantic criteria.

Results

In total, 19 (42.2%), 15 (33.3%), and 11 (24.2%) patients had mild AP (MAP), moderately severe AP (MSAP), and severe AP (SAP), respectively. The major cause of AP in these patients was hypertriglyceridemia (26.6%), while only 2 (4.44%) suffered from biliary pancreatitis. The median length of stay at hospital was significantly longer in patients with SAP (P = 0.034), and these patients had significantly higher triglycerides and total cholesterol levels when compared to MAP and MSAP. It was observed that levels of liver function enzymes such as alanine aminotransferase serum levels and aspartate aminotransferase serum levels were significantly higher in patients who stayed in hospital for >13 days. The presence of hypertriglyceridemia significantly increased the duration of stay (>13 days, P = 0.04) and induced SAP (P = 0.001). Majority of patients with SAP received blood purification than those with MAP and MSAP (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Hypertriglyceridemia was associated with AP during pregnancy in our study. Early diagnosis of AP and assessment of its severity are very important for the general management of this disease.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor antagonist (S,R)3‑(4‑hydroxyphenyl)‑4,5‑dihydro‑5‑isoxazole acetic acid methyl ester attenuates inflammation and lung injury in rats with acute pancreatitis in pregnancy

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an inflammatory cytokine involved in many acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. However, its role in acute lung injury associated with acute pancreatitis in pregnancy (APIP) has not yet been elucidated. The present study was undertaken to clarify the effect and potential mechanism of MIF antagonist (S,R)3‑(4‑hydroxyphenyl)‑4,5‑dihydro‑5‑isoxazole acetic acid methyl ester (ISO‑1) in the development of acute lung injury in rats with APIP. Eighteen late‑gestation SD rats were randomly assigned to three groups: Sham operation (SO) group, APIP group, and ISO‑1 group. All the rats were sacrificed 6 h after modeling. The severity of pancreatitis was evaluated by serum amylase (AMY), lipase (LIPA), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α, interleukin (IL)‑1β and IL‑6 and assessing the histopathological score. Lung injury was determined by performing histology and inflammatory cell infiltration investigations. Western blot analysis was used to detect the protein expression of MIF, phosphorylated and total P38 and nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB) protein in lungs. The results showed that MIF was upregulated in the lung of APIP rats. Compared with APIP group, the intervention of ISO‑1 alleviated the pathological injury of the pancreas and lungs, decreased serum AMY and LIPA, attenuated serum concentrations of TNF‑α, IL‑1β, and IL‑6, reduced the number of MPO‑positive cells in the lung and inhibited the activation of P38MAPK and NF‑κB. These results suggest that MIF is activated in lung injury induced by APIP. Furhtermore, the present findings indicate that the MIF antagonist ISO‑1 has a protective effect on lung injury and inflammation, which may be associated with deactivating the P38MAPK and NF‑κB signaling pathway.

Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Are Activated in Placental Injury in Rat Model of Acute Pancreatitis in Pregnancy

OBJECTIVES

To establish a rat model of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy (APIP) and evaluate its general presentations, assess placental injury, and discuss possible mechanisms.

METHODS

The APIP rat model was induced by sodium taurocholate in Sprague-Dawley rats of later gestation. Normal and sham-operated (SO) rats in later gestation were set as controls, 3 time points were set in SO and APIP groups to determine optimal modeling time. Histological changes of pancreas and placenta were assessed. Placental injury was determined by immunohistochemistry stain of caspase-3. Serum levels of amylase, lipase, and Ca; proinflammatory cytokines as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; mitogen-activated protein kinases and their phosphorylated forms by Western blotting.

RESULTS

Pancreatic necrotizing and placental injury occurred in time-dependent patterns. Serum levels of amylase and lipase significantly increased but Ca decreased; tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 were all increased in the APIP group; c-Jun N-terminal kinase, p38, and ERK1/2 were activated but with different distributing patterns in the placenta.

CONCLUSIONS

Placental injury is involved in the rat model of APIP, and a modeling time of 6 hours is optimal and conducive to further studies; c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 may play important roles in placental injury during APIP.

Cholesterol cholelithiasis in pregnant women: pathogenesis, prevention and treatment

Epidemiological and clinical studies have found that gallstone prevalence is twice as high in women as in men at all ages in every population studied. Hormonal changes occurring during pregnancy put women at higher risk. The incidence rates of biliary sludge (a precursor to gallstones) and gallstones are up to 30 and 12%, respectively, during pregnancy and postpartum, and 1-3% of pregnant women undergo cholecystectomy due to clinical symptoms or complications within the first year postpartum. Increased estrogen levels during pregnancy induce significant metabolic changes in the hepatobiliary system, including the formation of cholesterol-supersaturated bile and sluggish gallbladder motility, two factors enhancing cholelithogenesis. The therapeutic approaches are conservative during pregnancy because of the controversial frequency of biliary disorders. In the majority of pregnant women, biliary sludge and gallstones tend to dissolve spontaneously after parturition. In some situations, however, the conditions persist and require costly therapeutic interventions. When necessary, invasive procedures such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy are relatively well tolerated, preferably during the second trimester of pregnancy or postpartum. Although laparoscopic operation is recommended for its safety, the use of drugs such as ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and the novel lipid-lowering compound, ezetimibe would also be considered. In this paper, we systematically review the incidence and natural history of pregnancy-related biliary sludge and gallstone formation and carefully discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying the lithogenic effect of estrogen on gallstone formation during pregnancy. We also summarize recent progress in the necessary strategies recommended for the prevention and the treatment of gallstones in pregnant women.

Acute pancreatitis during pregnancy: a review

This article aims to draw together recent thinking on pregnancy and acute pancreatitis (AP), with a particular emphasis on pregnancy complications, birth outcomes and management of AP during pregnancy contingent on the etiology. AP during pregnancy is a rare but severe disease with a high maternal-fetal mortality, which has recently decreased thanks to earlier diagnosis and some maternal and neonatal intensive care improvement. AP usually occurs during the third trimester or the early postpartum period. The most common causes of AP are gallstones (65 to 100%), alcohol abuse and hypertriglyceridemia. Although the diagnostic criteria for AP are not specific for pregnant patients, Ranson and Balthazar criteria are used to evaluate the severity and treat AP during pregnancy. The fetal risks from AP during pregnancy are threatened preterm labor, prematurity and in utero fetal death. In cases of acute biliary pancreatitis during pregnancy, a consensual strategy could be adopted according to the gestational age, and taking in consideration the high risk of recurrence of AP (70%) with conservative treatment and the specific risks of each treatment. This could include: conservative treatment in first trimester and laparoscopic cholecystectomy in second trimester. During the third trimester, conservative treatment or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with biliary endoscopic sphincterotomy, and laparoscopic cholecystectomy in early postpartum period are recommended. A multidisciplinary approach, including gastroenterologists and obstetricians, seems to be the key in making the best choice for the management of AP during pregnancy.

Therapeutic efficacy of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography among pregnant women with severe acute biliary pancreatitis

OBJECTIVE

To explore the feasibility of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in pregnant women with severe acute biliary pancreatitis.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In total, 24 pregnant patients with severe acute biliary pancreatitis were enrolled in our study between January 2003 and January 2008. Emergency ERCP and endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD) without fluoroscopy were performed successfully in all 24 patients within 12-72 hours of admission. Once stabilized, 15 patients in late pregnancy underwent a second ERCP with fluoroscopy to remove common bile duct (CBD) stones after pregnancy termination. Nine patients in early or mid-pregnancy continued gestating and underwent endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD) with a second ERCP without fluoroscopy, and their stents and CBD stones were removed during a third ERCP with fluoroscopy 1 week after parturition.

RESULTS

Among the mothers, all 24 patients were cured, and none of them died. The CBD stones in all 24 patients were completely removed with a two-step ERCP, and no serious post-ERCP complications occurred, although 2 patients had mild hemorrhage in the final ERCP to remove CBD stones. No recurrent pancreatitis or cholangitis occurred in patients who underwent ERBD. Among the infants, all survived without developmental problems or abnormality. Twenty infants were born at term; four infants were born prematurely at 35-37 weeks of gestation without developmental problems or complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Emergency ERCP and ENBD without fluoroscopy in pregnant women with severe acute biliary pancreatitis are feasible and safe for both mothers and infants. It is also appropriate to remove CBD stones with two-step ERCP in pregnant women according to the stage of pregnancy.

Clinical study on acute pancreatitis in pregnancy in 26 cases

Aim. This paper investigated the pathogenesis and treatment strategies of acute pancreatitis (AP) in pregnancy. Methods. We analyzed retrospectively the characteristics, auxiliary diagnosis, treatment strategies, and clinical outcomes of 26 cases of patients with AP in pregnancy. Results. All patients were cured finally. (1) Nine cases of 22 mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) patients selected automatic termination of pregnancy because of the unsatisfied therapeutic efficacy or those patients' requirements. (2) Four cases of all patients were complicated with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP); 2 cases underwent uterine incision delivery while one of them also received cholecystectomy, debridement and drainage of pancreatic necrosis, and percutaneous jejunostomy. One case had a fetal death when complicated with SAP; she had to receive extraction of bile duct stones and drainage of abdominal cavity after induced abortion. The other one case with hyperlipidemic pancreatitis was given induced abortion and hemofiltration. Conclusions. The first choice of MAP in pregnancy is the conventional therapy. Apart from the conventional therapy, we need to terminate pregnancy as early as possible for patients with SAP. Removing biliary calculi and drainage is supposed to be considered for acute biliary pancreatitis. Lowering blood lipids treatment should be applied to hyperlipidemic pancreatitis or given to hemofiltration when necessary.

Clinical study on acute pancreatitis in pregnancy in 26 cases

Aim. This paper investigated the pathogenesis and treatment strategies of acute pancreatitis (AP) in pregnancy. Methods. We analyzed retrospectively the characteristics, auxiliary diagnosis, treatment strategies, and clinical outcomes of 26 cases of patients with AP in pregnancy. Results. All patients were cured finally. (1) Nine cases of 22 mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) patients selected automatic termination of pregnancy because of the unsatisfied therapeutic efficacy or those patients' requirements. (2) Four cases of all patients were complicated with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP); 2 cases underwent uterine incision delivery while one of them also received cholecystectomy, debridement and drainage of pancreatic necrosis, and percutaneous jejunostomy. One case had a fetal death when complicated with SAP; she had to receive extraction of bile duct stones and drainage of abdominal cavity after induced abortion. The other one case with hyperlipidemic pancreatitis was given induced abortion and hemofiltration. Conclusions. The first choice of MAP in pregnancy is the conventional therapy. Apart from the conventional therapy, we need to terminate pregnancy as early as possible for patients with SAP. Removing biliary calculi and drainage is supposed to be considered for acute biliary pancreatitis. Lowering blood lipids treatment should be applied to hyperlipidemic pancreatitis or given to hemofiltration when necessary.

Cholecystectomy for Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis: Early Vs Delayed Approach

Background and Aims:

The management of gallstone pancreatitis, in particular timing of cholecystectomy, has evolved substantially over the last decade. The trend has been toward earlier cholecystectomy. We review current literature regarding the timing of cholecystectomy in the context of gallstone pancreatitis.

Materials and Methods:

The authors performed a literature search in PubMed for relevant articles in the English language with greatest weight given to prospective trials compared to observational studies and previous reviews.

Results:

The literature search yielded 59 articles discussing cholecystectomy in the context of gallstone pancreatitis. Most were retrospective studies or reviews, but there were nine prospective observational studies and two randomized control trials. For mild gallstone pancreatitis, laparoscopic cholecystectomy within 48 hours of presentation (without normalization of pancreatic enzymes or absence of abdominal pain) has been shown to shorten hospital stay without increased morbidity or mortality. Routine preoperative ERCP is unnecessary for patients with mild disease. For more severe disease, timing of cholecystectomy is governed by clinical status. Interval cholecystectomy (>2 weeks after index admission) can be safely done with low risk of recurrence if the patient has had ERCP and sphincterotomy at index admission.

Conclusion:

Patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis should have cholecystectomy during index admission within 48 hours of arrival, but patients with more severe disease will require cholecystectomy at a later time, depending on the clinical circumstances. Sphincterotomy should be done as soon as possible if cholecystectomy is not feasible early in course.

Walled-off pancreatic necrosis

Walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WOPN), formerly known as pancreatic abscess is a late complication of acute pancreatitis. It can be lethal, even though it is rare. This critical review provides an overview of the continually expanding knowledge about WOPN, by review of current data from references identified in Medline and PubMed, to September 2009, using key words, such as WOPN, infected pseudocyst, severe pancreatitis, pancreatic abscess, acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP), pancreas, inflammation and alcoholism. WOPN comprises a later and local complication of ANP, occurring more than 4 wk after the initial attack, usually following development of pseudocysts and other pancreatic fluid collections. The mortality rate associated with WOPN is generally less than that of infected pancreatic necrosis. Surgical intervention had been the mainstay of treatment for infected peripancreatic fluid collection and abscesses for decades. Increasingly, percutaneous catheter drainage and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography have been used, and encouraging results have recently been reported in the medical literature, rendering these techniques invaluable in the treatment of WOPN. Applying the recommended therapeutic strategy, which comprises early treatment with antibiotics combined with restricted surgical intervention, fewer patients with ANP undergo surgery and interventions are ideally performed later in the course of the disease, when necrosis has become well demarcated.

Management of necrotizing pancreatitis in the third trimester of pregnancy

INTRODUCTION

Acute pancreatitis during pregnancy is a severe disease with a high materno-fetal mortality, which recently decreased because of earlier diagnosis and improvement in maternal and neonatal intensive care.

CASE

We describe a 19-year-old woman who presented at 37 weeks gestation with acute abdominal pain and attacks of vomiting. Obstetrical and fetal examinations were normal. Biochemical investigations and magnetic resonance imaging showed a gallstone migration with necrotizing pancreatitis (Balthazar 5 points). Our multidisciplinary team decided on nonsurgical conservative treatment including morphine administration and enteral feeding, and vaginal delivery which was possible 30 h after induction of labor. Follow up was uneventful with a resolution of pain and signs of pancreatitis on imaging.

CONCLUSION

Magnetic resonance imaging can be useful and safe to estimate the severity of acute and necrotizing pancreatitis in the third trimester of pregnancy. In case of sterile necrotizing pancreatitis, nonsurgical conservative treatment and a vaginal delivery should be performed when possible in these patients to reduce the risk of maternal infection.

Clinical characteristics of acute pancreatitis in middle and late pregnancy stage and its treatment: an analysis of 23 cases

AIM: To discuss the clinical characteristics of acute pancreatitis in middle and late pregnancy stage and its treatment.

METHODS: Twenty-three patients with acute pancreatitis in middle and late pregnancy stage were conservatively treated with drugs under close observation. Operation was performed for those with their conditions worsened to eliminate the necrotic tissues and terminate their pregnancy.

RESULTS: Two mothers with their fetus died, 21 mothers were discharged from the hospital after their entire recovery and 13 fetuses were successfully saved.

CONCLUSION: Women in the middle and late pregnancy stage, especially those with a history of gallbladder and biliary tract diseases are easy to suffer from pancreatitis. Changes in endocrine during this stage can also lead to the development of acute pancreatitis.

[Hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis in pregnancy. A case report]

We report the case of a 31-year-old pregnant patient in the 33rd week of gestation, with no history of dyslipidaemia, admitted for sub-acute epigastric pain. The milky aspect of blood samples was remarkable. Blood analysis showed a moderate increase in pancreatic enzymes but a major hyperlipaemia: triglyceridaemia 113 g/l and total cholesterolaemia 25 g/l. We suspected a hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis in pregnancy. The diagnosis was confirmed by CT-scan. Abdominal echography showed no abnormalities in biliary duct. After few hours, a caesarean was performed for acute fetal distress. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit where a decrease of hypertriglyceridemia was already observed. Only one plasmapheresis was performed. Heparin was introduced. Rapid clinical improvement allowed discharge from intensive care at day 3. This case report illustrates lipid decrease with undertaken treatments. We discuss the management of hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis in pregnancy.

Pancréatite aiguë révélatrice d'un lupus érythémateux aigu disséminé

INTRODUCTION

Acute pancreatitis is rarely seen in systemic lupus erythematous.

CASE REPORT

A 28-year-old woman without significant past medical history, was hospitalized for sepsis and diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, which was found to be the initial presentation of a newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematous.

DISCUSSION

Acute pancreatitis as an initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematous is rare and is reported in only 10 cases in the literature. Multiple factors are involved in the pathogenesis. The role of corticosteroids in its apparition or resolution is still a subject of controversy.