Local pancreatic head resection: The search for optimal indications through quality of life assessments

Background Local pancreatic head resection (LPHR) for chronic pancreatitis has had limited adoption in the United States perhaps because of sparse outcomes and quality of life data. Methods Forty-four patients underwent LPHR and retrospective evaluation of patient outcomes and quality of life assessment was performed. Results The mean age was 49 ± 11 years (50% men) with chronic alcohol use as the etiology in 79% of patients. One patient (2%) died within 90 days. The intensive care unit stay was 1.8 ± 3.1 days and postoperative length of stay was 12.6 ± 9.4 days with 96% of patients discharged home. Ten (22%) patients had major perioperative complications. Biliary stricture was the most common late complication (14%). Quality of life assessment results showed that global status (47/100) and physical (66/100), cognitive (68/100), and social (52/100) functions were acceptable. Prevalent postoperative symptoms were pain (52/100), insomnia (56/100), and digestive disturbance (60/100). Conclusions LPHR is safe and effective for a substantial proportion of patients with chronic pancreatitis. Further refinement in the selection of patients most likely to benefit from this operation is warranted.