Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0000737 (abdominal pain)
 31,184 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Long strictures of the intrapancreatic portion of the common bile duct were found in 6 patients with chronic pancreatitis. These strictures were responsible for painless obstructive jaundice, recurrent cholangitis, secondary biliary cirrhosis, and chronic abdominal pain difficult to distinguish from that caused by pancreatitis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and intraoperative cholangiography were invaluable in making the diagnosis and in planning surgical correction. Decompression of the biliary tree by anastomosis of the gallbladder or common duct to the small intestine completely relieved symptoms and allowed liver function to improve significantly. Common duct stricture as a complication of chronic pancreatitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of extrahepatic biliary obstruction and whenever surgical treatment of chronic pancreatitis is contemplated.
 ...
PMID:Persistent obstructive jaundice, cholangitis, and biliary cirrhosis due to common bile duct stenosis in chronic pancreatitis. 94 56

Of one hundred and forty-nine patients (101 male and 48 female) 4-67 years of age, 117 were alcoholics and underwent pancreatectomy because of episodic or continuous abdominal pain or complications or chronic pancreatitis. Nineteen patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy, seventy-seven 80-95% distal resection, anf fifty-three 40-80% distal pancreatic resection. There were 3 operative death and 30 late deaths 6 months to 11 years post pancreatectomy. Twenty-one patients were lost to followup, 1 to 11 years post pancreatectomy. Ninety-five patients are known to be alive, 4 of whom are institutionalized. Indications for pancreatectomy in addition to abdominal pain include recurrent or multiple pseudocysts, failure to relieve pain after decompression of a pseudocyst, pseudoaneurysm of the visceral arteries associated with a pseudocyst, recurrent attacks of pancreatitis unrelived by non-resective operations, duodenal stenosis and left side portal hypertension. The choice between pancreaticoduodenectomy or distal resection of 40-80% or 80-95% of the pancreas should be based on the principle site of inflammation whether proximal or distal in the gland, the size of the common bile duct, the ability to rule out carcinoma, and the anticipated deficits in exocrine and endocrine function. The risk of diabetes is very significant after 80-95% distal resection and of steatorrhea after pancreaticoduodenectomy. When the disease process can be encompassed by 40-80% distal pancreatectomy this is the procedure of choice.
 ...
PMID:Pancreatectomy for chronic pancreatitis. 101 87

A case of pancreatic ascites is reported and compared with 55 previously reported cases. A 42-year-old black male chronic alcoholic presenting with abdominal pain was found at operation to have chronic pancreatitis with no pseudocyst formation or overt duct disruption, in contrast to the majority of cases reported. The diagnosis and differentiation from cirrhosis of the liver were based on the operative findings, elevated serum amylase level, ascitic fluid amylase value, and protein content. Surgical exploration alone has proven beneficial--the patient has done well in the past 2 years with no recurrence of the ascites and continued weight gain. The clinical course was compatible with pancreatitis although the radiographic and angiographic studies were not diagnostic. It is suggested that the clinical entity of pancreatic ascites occurs more often than reported and a workup for it should be done even in the face of unconvincing radiographic and angiographic evidence.
 ...
PMID:Pancreatic ascites. A case report and review of the literature. 120 11

Chronic pancreatitis is considered a progressive damage of the anatomic structure of the pancreas. Alcoholism and diseases of the bile tract are to be considered in the first place among the many etiologic factors. The pathogenetic principle is an intrapancreatic activation of enzymes combined with autodigestion. The leading symptome is abdominal pain. Besides laboratory tests and X-ray examination the main methods of diagnosis are the examination of endocrine and exocrine function of the pancreas, endoscopic-radiological cholangio-pancreaticography (ERCP) and sonography. More than half the patients with chronic pancreatitis can be treated satisfactory by a diet poor in fat, the abstinence of alcohol and the substitution of enzymes.
 ...
PMID:[Chronic pancreatitis]. 122 4

Pain is the major symptom in chronic pancreatitis. Its intensity frequently necessitates partial or complete pancreatectomy. The mechanisms of pain are not yet fully understood and, thereby, the therapeutic management is still controversial. Possible causes of pain include outflow obstruction with increased ductal and parenchymal pressure within the pancreas, and inflammatory involvement of intrapancreatic nerve fibres. Possible extrapancreatic causes are common bile duct and duodenal stenosis. The first theory has recently been substantiated by the demonstration of a definite relationship between intrapancreatic pressure, as measured intraoperatively, and intensity of pain. Infiltration of inflammatory cells around the nerves together with an increase in the number of nerve fibres in the fibrotic pancreatic tissue has been proposed as a possible cause of pain in chronic pancreatitis. Moreover, immunohistological studies have shown that the amount of neurotransmitters, such as substance P, is increased in afferent pancreatic nerves. Stenosis of the common bile duct and duodenum has been reported to be associated with severe abdominal pain. Common bile duct and duodenal stenosis in chronic pancreatitis may be caused by extension of fibrosis and active inflammation of the pancreas within the wall of duodenum and bile duct. This article updates the different pathogenetic mechanisms in pancreatic pain and the current therapeutic possibilities with their advantages and shortcomings.
 ...
PMID:[Pain in chronic pancreatitis: recent pathogenetic findings]. 129 36

The authors report the case of a 28-year-old man with a cystic dystrophy of aberrant pancreatic tissue (C.D.A.P.T.) presenting with a history of major abdominal pain. First diagnosis was chronic pancreatitis because of clinical presentation, alcoholic intoxication, and the results of medical imaging techniques. A vagotomy associated with a gastroenterostomy was performed. Several years later the abdominal pain relapsed and failed to be cure by means of medical treatment. A duodenopancreatectomy was performed. Histology demonstrated the diagnosis of C.D.A.P.T. C.D.A.P.T. is a benign disease of the pancreas, limited to its cephalic portion, without demonstrated pathogenesis. C.D.A.P.T. can be either isolated or associated with a chronic pancreatitis. Clinical diagnosis can be particularly difficult as indicated by a literature review. Abdominal pain is the main symptom. Clinical presentation is rarely related to a complication (stenosis). Endoscopy, sonogram, and CAT scan are three techniques of diagnosis value, but intraluminal-sonography is more efficient. Tumor excision is not recommendable. Treatment of C.D.A.P.T. by duodeno-pancreatectomy (D.P.) is often indicated because of concurrent chronic pancreatitis or suspected pancreatic carcinoma. In case of clinical diagnosis of C.D.A.P.T., fenestration of the cysts under endoscopic control is the only local treatment that can avoid D.P.
 ...
PMID:[Cystic dystrophy of aberrant pancreatic tissue in the duodenal wall. Diagnostic and therapeutic problems]. 136 86

The diagnostic capacity of a semiquantitative latex test for lipase measurement was compared with the measurement of other pancreatic enzymes in 100 consecutive patients admitted to a general hospital for recent onset of severe abdominal pain. Positive results of the test were found in two patients with acute pancreatitis, and in one out of three chronic pancreatitis relapses. The test yielded false-positive results only in two patients who had no apparent pancreatic involvement. A marginal increase in other pancreatic enzymes was found in a few patients with acute biliary or appendicular problems. In conclusion, the lipase latex test can be suggested in an emergency setting as a quick and reliable alternative to serum amylase to rule out a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis.
 ...
PMID:Lipase latex test for acute abdominal pain: comparison with serum lipase, trypsin, elastase and amylase. 137 75

Chronic pancreatitis is defined by a persistent destruction of the pancreatic parenchyma replaced by fibrosis. The lesions generally start in the exocrine gland, islets being attacked later in the fibrosis. The two most frequent forms are: 1. Chronic calcifying pancreatitis which is a pancreatic lithiasis responsible for more than 95% of chronic pancreatitis. In its most frequent form, calculi are built up of more than 98% calcium salts together with fibres of a degraded residue of lithostathine, a secretory protein. This disease is related (i) in most countries to alcohol, protein, fat and tobacco and (ii) in certain tropical countries to malnutrition (low-fat, low-protein diet) for some generations. A causative role for cassava and kwashiorkor is improbable. The mechanism of calcium precipitation is partly explained by the calcium-saturation of pancreatic juice and the decreased biosynthesis of lithostathine S, the secretory protein preventing crystallization. As a rule, diabetes (and steatorrhoea) appear after a clinical evolution characterized by recurrent attacks of upper abdominal pain, generally lasting some days with transiently increased concentrations of pancreatic enzymes in serum. When diabetes appears, pain frequently disappears. Complications are mostly observed in the first 10 years of clinical evolution. 2. Obstructive pancreatitis is due to an obstacle (tumours, scars) in the pancreatic duct. It is rarely a cause of diabetes. Diabetes due to chronic pancreatitis is characterized by the low incidence of ketosis and the high incidence of insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. Patients are generally thin. Serum insulin levels, either basal or stimulated, are decreased. Glucagon is less affected. Angiopathies and retinopathies are less frequent than in non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Neural complications are fairly frequent. The diagnosis is generally easy because diabetes appears at a late stage of the disease. The treatment generally requires insulin.
 ...
PMID:Chronic pancreatitis and diabetes. 144 67

The value of serum liver function tests and abdominal ultrasound as screening tests of the need for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was determined in patients with unexplained abdominal pain without associated jaundice. In 1989 and 1990 1005 ERCPs were undertaken, of which 138 (14%) were for this indication. The duct or ducts of interest were delineated by ERCP in 95% of patients. The lesions found were bile duct stones in 10 patients, chronic pancreatitis in five, pancreatic carcinoma in one, peptic ulcer or duodenitis in four. A satisfactory ultrasound examination had been performed in 94% of patients. For chronic pancreatitis, its sensitivity was 60% and specificity 95%. For choledocholithiasis, the ultrasonic detection of duct dilatation or stones had a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 86%. Of the liver function tests, the alkaline phosphatase was more sensitive (67%) than the transaminases (44%) in indicating the presence of bile duct stones and had a high specificity (95%). None of the 10 patients with duct stones had normal ultrasound and normal alkaline phosphatase. Thus it was found that demonstration of a normal common bile duct by abdominal ultrasound and normal serum alkaline phosphatase together have 100% specificity in excluding bile duct stones. Using such knowledge over the two year period of this study would have spared 36 patients the need for ERCP.
 ...
PMID:Value of ultrasound and liver function tests in determining the need for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in unexplained abdominal pain. 145 84

In patients with severe abdominal pain, of pancreatic origin, there are a few with minimal or equivocal findings on pancreatic investigation and in whom the aetiology of their pancreatic disease is elusive. The findings and outcome in 16 of these patients (four men and 12 women) who underwent resection are reported. Pancreatic imaging showed minimal or equivocal findings in all 16; pancreas divisum was present in five. All were managed conservatively at first but resection was required for progression of symptoms. A drainage procedure was performed initially in five patients but relief of pain was at best transitory before further surgery was required. Partial resection was needed in 12, of whom eight required subsequent completion pancreatectomy and four had a one stage total resection. Nine patients are currently pain free after resection or are very much improved, while six are no better and one patient has died from an unrelated cause. Histology of resected specimens showed chronic inflammatory changes accompanied by subtle non-inflammatory changes in all but one. These changes include duct proliferation, duct complex formation, adenomatous nodules, and acinar cell atrophy, the significance of which is unclear. These findings suggest a syndrome of minimal macroscopic and radiological change chronic pancreatitis with pain as its chief clinical feature and a distinct histology, the aetiology of which is unclear. It seems that there is a distinct syndrome of minimal change pancreatitis, among the group of patients which presents with the clinical features of chronic pancreatitis.
 ...
PMID:Minimal change chronic pancreatitis. 145 86


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>