Duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection: Future standard operation in chronic pancreatitis

As the incidence of chronic pancreatitis (CP) has risen in most industrialized countries due to increasing alcohol intake, operative therapy has gained importance, and various new operative procedures have been introduced in the past two or three decades. With pancreatic duct drainage operations, pain relief is frequently not satisfactory in long-term follow-up. Pathological studies in combination with modern molecular biology investigations, suggests that the pancreatic head is the 'pacemaker' of the disease in most CP patients. Therefore, surgical procedures which aim to remove pancreatic head-related CP complications are needed in most patients. The Whipple operation, which was originally developed to treat malignancies in the pancreatic head region, follows oncological criteria and can therefore be considered surgical overtreatment in the majority of CP patients. As an alternative, the duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR) was introduced by Hans Beger in 1972 to preserve the stomach, the extrahepatic bile duct and the duodenum. DPPHR is an organ-preserving surgical procedure which provides satisfactory long-term results with regard to mortality; morbidity, pain relief, weight gain and social and professional rehabilitation. Among the operations currently available, DPPHR is the best choice for a new standard operation in patients with pancreatic head-related complications.