Pancreatitis

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis occurs in children, is usually idiopathic, and rarely requires surgical intervention. Supportive measures and removing the inciting cause, when known, usually allow the child get better essentially on their own. Of all the scores and clinical studies that have been recommended over the years, the most useful appear to be the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and imaging with US. Some children, usually with an anatomic or genetic cause, are at risk for recurrent acute pancreatitis and, if the cause is not remedied, will eventually and inevitably progress to chronic pancreatitis. A variety of endoscopic and percutaneous techniques have been developed and shown in many cases to be superior to surgery, though surgical intervention is still indicated for certain complications of acute pancreatitis such as a symptomatic pancreatic pseudocyst, best treated with cyst-gastrostomy, or chronic pancreatitis with ductal dilatation, which benefits from pancreaticojejunostomy.