Consequence of acute pancreatitis and development of pancreatic pseudocysts

Objective: to improve treatment outcomes in patients with pancreatic pseudocysts. Materials and methods. We analyzed treatment outcomes of 15 patients with pancreatic pseudocysts aged between 30 and 70 years. Of them, 4 patients underwent surgical treatment. The average length of in-hospital stay was 14 days. Results. Acute pancreatitis is a serious condition, which is particularly interesting for abdominal surgeons. The main cause of pancreatic pseudocysts is acute pancreatitis in the past as a result of alcohol abuse or alimentary factor. Usually, the diagnosis of pseudocyst is quite difficult at the initial examination. Upon admission, these patients are often misdiagnosed with acute pancreatitis; only further examinations allows the establishment of a correct diagnosis-pancreatic pseudocyst. Treatment usually includes conservative measures, such as fasting, hypothermia of the epigastric region, and infusion therapy (except for patients with peritonitis resulted from pseudocyst perforation in the abdominal area). Patients suspected of having abscess receive antibiotics. Patients also undergo various diagnostic procedures, including standard laboratory testing, abdominal ultrasound, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion. Conservative treatment was effective in 11 out of 15 patients. They had regression of pain syndrome; their clinical and laboratory parameters got back to normal.