Lateral pancreaticojejunostomy for pain relief in chronic pancreatitis: analysis of effectiveness in 19 patients.

To assess the relief of pain provided by a side-to-side lateral pancreaticojejunostomy (LPJ), we analyzed 19 patients with chronic pancreatitis operated on from 1973 to 1983. Fourteen patients were chronic alcoholics; abdominal pain was the indication for the operation in most patients; one patient died postoperatively. The pain was relieved in all 18 survivors, from 12 to 72 months in 15; in three the pain has recurred, suggesting that LPJ is effective in ablating the pain in patients with chronic pancreatitis, provided the pancreatic duct measures more than 6 mm in diameter, the length of the LPJ is at least 6 cm, and patients abstain from alcohol ingestion. CT adequately assesses pancreatic duct dilatation. One fourth of the patients also required choledochoduodenostomy to relieve biliary obstruction caused by the chronic pancreatitis.