Endoscopic Versus Surgical Treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis

Endoscopic Versus Surgical Treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis - A Randomized Controlled Trial

Chronic pancreatitis is a progressive inflammatory disease of the pancreas characterized by destruction of pancreatic parenchyma and subsequent fibrosis. Patients with chronic pancreatitis can be treated with medical management, endoscopic therapy and surgical treatment. Among the various theories of causation of pain in chronic pancreatitis, there is theory of ductal hypertension. In this the pancreatic duct obstruction resulting in ductal dilatation, ductal hypertension and parenchymal hypertension is thought to be the cause of pain. For patients with dilated ducts, ductal decompression is advocated. Ductal decompression can be achieved by endoscopy and by surgery. Surgery comprises of lateral pancreaticojejunostomy with or without headcoring. Endoscopic treatment includes sphincterotomy, dilatation of strictures, removal of stones with or without extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and stenting. The pros and cons of endoscopic versus surgical therapy are debated. Lateral pancreaticojejunostomy relieves chronic abdominal pain in 65%-93% of patients. Morbidity and mortality rates are generally low, averaging 20% and 2%, respectively. Long-term follow-up of patients after lateral pancreaticojejunostomy reveals that up to 50% of patients develop recurrent symptoms and 10%-35% fail to obtain pain relief. Studies indicate that more than 60% of patients undergoing pancreatic endotherapy are pain free 1 year after the procedure. There are only two randomized controlled trials comparing endoscopic treatment with the surgical therapy. In this study the investigators will be conducting a randomized trial, to compare endoscopic and surgical treatment of chronic pancreatitis. Outcome variables measured in the study will include pain relief, quality of life, morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay and changes in pancreatic function.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Chronic Pancreatitis
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: surgery; Procedure: Endoscopic therapy

Detailed Description

Chronic pancreatitis is a progressive inflammatory disease of the pancreas characterized by destruction of pancreatic parenchyma and subsequent fibrosis. The prevalence of chronic pancreatitis has been found to be very high in southern India (114-200/100 000 population). Alcohol is the most common etiology worldwide, while idiopathic pancreatitis is the most common type in India and China, accounting for approximately 70% of all cases of chronic pancreatitis. It is a cause of considerable morbidity in the form of pain, steatorrhea and diabetes mellitus. Natural history of chronic pancreatitis is characterized by variable course stretching over decades with recurrent acute pancreatitis in the early stage and steatorrhea, diabetes and pancreatic calcification in the later stages. Pain is a prominent clinical feature of chronic pancreatitis and the most troublesome symptom for which medical attention is often sought. Unfortunately, despite much work, the pathophysiology of pain in CP remains poorly understood. Multiple factors have been suspected, which include inflammation, encasement of sensory nerves by the fibrotic process and neuropathy, and duct obstruction, which can lead to high back pressure and parenchymal ischemia. Increased pressure in the main pancreatic duct is likely to be an important cause of pain, particularly in patients with duct dilatation. This explanation forms the conceptual basis for both endoscopic and surgical drainage procedures. Approximately one half of patients with pain owing to chronic pancreatitis come to an intervention aimed principally at pain relief, along with relief of bile duct, duodenal, and major venous obstruction. Patients with chronic pancreatitis can be treated with medical management, endoscopic therapy and surgical treatment. For patients with dilated ducts, ductal decompression is advocated. The pros and cons of endoscopic versus surgical therapy are debated.

The modified Puestow or lateral pancreaticojejunostomy is the most commonly employed surgical procedure. Lateral pancreaticojejunostomy relieves chronic abdominal pain in 65%-93% of patients. Morbidity and mortality rates are generally low, averaging 20% and 2%, respectively. Long-term follow-up of patients after lateral pancreaticojejunostomy reveals that up to 50% of patients develop recurrent symptoms and 10%-35% fail to obtain pain relief.

Overall more than 60% of patients undergoing pancreatic endotherapy are pain free 1 year after the procedure. There are only two randomized controlled trials comparing endoscopic treatment with the surgical therapy.

Dite et al. reported the first trial. Surgery consisted of resection (80 %) and drainage (20 %) procedures, while endotherapy included sphincterotomy and stenting (52 %) and/or stone removal (23 %). In the entire group, the initial success rates were similar for both groups, but at the 5-year follow-up, complete absence of pain was more frequent after surgery (37 % vs. 14 %), with the rate of partial relief being similar (49 % vs. 51 %). In the randomized subgroup, results were similar (pain absence 34 % after surgery vs. 15 % after endotherapy, relief 52 % after surgery vs. 46 % after endotherapy). The increase in body weight was also greater by 20 - 25 % in the surgical group, while new-onset diabetes developed with similar frequency in both groups (34 - 43 %), again with no differences between the results for the whole group and the randomized subgroup. The authors concluded that surgery is superior to endotherapy for long-term pain reduction in patients with painful obstructive chronic pancreatitis.

Cahen et al. reported the second trial. All symptomatic patients with chronic pancreatitis and a distal obstruction of the pancreatic duct but without an inflammatory mass were eligible for the study. Thirty-nine patients underwent randomization: 19 to endoscopic treatment (16 of whom underwent lithotripsy) and 20 to operative pancreaticojejunostomy. During the 24 months of follow-up, patients who underwent surgery, as compared with those who were treated endoscopically, had lower Izbicki pain scores (25 vs. 51, P<0.001) and better physical health summary scores on the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form General Health Survey questionnaire (P=0.003). At the end of follow-up, complete or partial pain relief was achieved in 32% of patients assigned to endoscopic drainage as compared with 75% of patients assigned to surgical drainage (P=0.007). Rates of complications, length of hospital stay, and changes in pancreatic function were similar in the two treatment groups, but patients receiving endoscopic treatment required more procedures than did patients in the surgery group (a median of eight vs. three, P<0.001). Authors concluded that surgical drainage of the pancreatic duct was more effective than endoscopic treatment in patients with obstruction of the pancreatic duct due to chronic pancreatitis.

Both these trials had a small sample size. The population studied was also different. ESWL was not included in protocol in one of the trials. In one of the trials only pancreatic duct drainage was chosen as the surgical therapy. The proposed study will compare surgery with endoscopic therapy in Indian population with chronic pancreatitis. The outcomes compared would include pain relief, quality of life, morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay and changes in pancreatic endocrine and exocrine function.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• India
  • Delhi
    • New Delhi, Delhi, India, 110029
      • AIIMS

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 12 years to 70 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT, CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis
• Failed medical treatment
• Dilated pancreatic duct ( > 5mm)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age under 12 or more than 70 years
• Pregnancy
• Multiple (> 3) large stone (> 1.5 cm) in head of pancreas or stones present throughout head, body and tail

• Contraindications to surgery

  • American Society of Anesthesiologists class IV
  • Portal hypertension

• Contraindications to endoscopic treatment

  • Gastrectomy with Billroth II reconstruction
  • Other pancreatitis-related complications requiring surgery

• Previous interventional therapy for chronic pancreatitis

  • Pancreatic endotherapy
  • Previous surgery
• Suspected pancreatic cancer
• Refusal to participate

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Surgery; Patients will be randomized to surgery	Procedure: surgery; Drainage procedure; Other Names: lateral pancreaticojejunostomy
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Endotherapy; Patients will be randomized to endoscopic therapy	Procedure: Endoscopic therapy; pancreatic sphincterotomy, removal of calculi, stenting, ESWL; Other Names: Pancreatic endotherapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain relief	Relief in pain	1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mortality	Mortality	30 day
Quality of life	QoL score	6 Month
Morbidity	Any comoplications	30 days
Changes in pancreatic endocrine function	Development or change in diabetes	6 Month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Nikhil Agrawal, MS, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; Study Director: T K Chattopadhyay, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; Study Director: Peush Sahni, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; Study Chair: Sujoy Pal, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; Study Chair: N R Dash, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; Study Director: Pramod Garg, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): July 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (ANTICIPATED): December 1, 2017
• Study Completion (ANTICIPATED): December 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 19, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 26, 2012
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): January 30, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): June 28, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 27, 2017
• Last Verified: June 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: randomized controlled trial; surgery; ESWL; chronic pancreatitis; endoscopic therapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Pancreatic Diseases; Pancreatitis; Pancreatitis, Chronic
• Other Study ID Numbers: IESC/T-187/2010