Pancreatitis
What is pancreatitis?
What causes pancreatitis?
How is pancreatitis treated?
What is done at surgery for pancreatitis?
How will my life be different after surgery for pancreatitis?

What is pancreatitis?
The pancreas is an organ in your body that regulates sugar balance and aids in digestion. It produces substances called enzymes that break down food. When the pancreas becomes damaged, the enzymes can escape from the pancreas. This can happen from trauma, manipulation by a surgeon, alcohol, gallstones, or even certain drugs. These enzymes will then begin to break down (digest) the tissue surrounding the pancreas. The pancreas will become inflamed, causing terrible abdominal pain that can travel to the back. This process will continue until the enzymes are contained again.

What causes pancreatitis?
The most common causes for pancreatitis are gallstones and alcohol. These account for 80% of all cases of pancreatitis. Other causes are trauma, drugs, cholesterol, anatomical variations, and certain infections.

How is pancreatitis treated?
We treat pancreatitis by keeping the patient on IV fluids and not allowing the patient to eat anything by mouth. This decreases the enzyme production and hopefully will help the pancreas heal.

In some cases, the process continues and the enzymes will digest the tissue around the pancreas. It is at this point where pancreatitis becomes a serious, potentially fatal disease. The material that is digested by the enzymes can become infected, and when this happens the patient usually needs to be taken emergently to the operating room. At this point pancreatitis can be associated with a high probability of dying. Therefore, pancreatitis is a very serious problem that needs to be treated early by physicians in a hospital setting, so it does not progress to a more serious problem.

What is done at surgery for pancreatitis?
Surgery for pancreatitis is difficult surgery. The surgeon has to remove all the dead tissue without harming other organs. Many times the part of the pancreas that is diseased is removed as well. Usually the patient has to go back to the operating room many times before this improves.

How will my life be different after surgery for pancreatitis?
After surgery for pancreatitis the patient usually has been in the hospital for many months and will need extensive continued rehabilitation. Patients sometimes have dysfunction of their pancreas which causes them to be diabetic. They may also have problems with digestion. These conditions can be controlled with medication.