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Acute pancreatitis in children

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Opinion statement

  • There are no drugs that cure or abate pancreatitis. The treatment of patients with mild and moderate episodes of pancreatitis (85%) is supportive and expectant. Central issues include the removal of the initiating process (if possible), relief of pain, and maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography may be required for stone extraction in patients with biliary pancreatitis. Surgery is rarely required.

  • The aims of treatment for patients with severe disease includes treatment of local, systemic, and septic complications in addition to those for mild and moderate disease. Homeostasis is maintained by the correction of hypocalcemia, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, electrolyte imbalances, and hypoxemia. A large number of medications have been used unsuccessfully in an attempt to halt the progression of the autodigestive process within the pancreas and to reduce pancreatic secretions. Nutritional support with either enteral or parenteral feeding is given. Intravenous antibiotics or selective bowel decontamination decrease mortality in patients with severe episodes of pancreatitis. The treatment for these individuals is often prolonged.

  • Surgical treatment of traumatic pancreatitis with ductal rupture includes repair or resection. At times, simple drainage is performed and definitive surgery is deferred until later. Surgical treatment of severe pancreatitis includes debridement of necrotic and infected tissue. The emerging consensus appears to be that necrosectomy and local lavage or open management with planned re-exploration offers better survival than the conventional therapy of resection plus drainage alone.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gastroenterology Section, Department of Pediatrics, The Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Steven L. Werlin MD

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  1. Steven L. Werlin MD
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Werlin, S.L. Acute pancreatitis in children. Curr Treat Options Gastro 4, 403–408 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11938-001-0005-7

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