A new surgical approach for control of pain in chronic pancreatitis: complete denervation of the pancreas.

With the aim of pain control in chronic pancreatitis without the morbidity of insulin-dependent diabetes, a new procedure was devised to completely resect the postganglionic pancreatic nerves and to totally free the pancreas from the posterior abdominal wall. This procedure was performed on two patients with follow-up periods of 24 and 10 months. Pain was resolved in both patients, and their blood glucose levels were substantially unchanged. This new approach offers a means of relieving pain with preservation of endocrine function in selected patients with chronic pancreatitis, especially in patients who have a small pancreatic duct.