Surgical Debridement in Necrotizing Pancreatitis

Abstract

Pancreatic necrosis is a feared complication following acute pancreatitis, carrying a 10-20 \% mortality. When surgical intervention is indicated, open necrosectomy remains the gold standard approach. Recent evidence demonstrating the advantage of delaying or even avoiding surgical intervention altogether has changed treatment paradigms and has opened the door for minimally invasive techniques. This chapter discusses open versus minimally invasive necrosectomy with respect to morbidity and outcome.