Duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection leads to relief of common bile duct stenosis.

Common bile duct stenosis (CBDS) is one of the most frequent complications in chronic pancreatitis with inflammatory mass in the head of the pancreas (IMH). A total of 474 patients who underwent duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR) between 1982 and 1998 were reevaluated; 219 patients (46%) with a mean duration of the disease of 45 months had a radiologically proven CBDS. One patient (0.5%) died of septic complications in the early postoperative course, 15 patients (6.8%) had to be reoperated on for complications. A follow-up investigation of 143 patients (92%) revealed a late mortality of 12%; no patient died of biliary complications. Seventy-five percent of the patients were completely free of pain, and 85% of the patients had a constant or even increasing body weight. The high percentage of pain-free patients with improved physical status and economical rehabilitation demonstrates the improvement of the quality of life after DPPHR for complicated chronic pancreatitis.