Main description:

This book is the proceedings of the Falk Symposium 143 on ‘Pancreatitis: Advances in Pathobiology, Diagnosis and Treatment’, held in Freiburg, Germany, on 14--15 October 2004 (Part II of the Gastroenterology Week Freiburg): the first time in the nearly 40-year-old tradition of International Falk Symposia that pancreatitis has been the main topic of the program. The aim of this state-of-the-art postgraduate volume is two-fold. First, it is focused on the marked progress in the understanding, diagnosis and management of acute and chronic pancreatitis that has been achieved within the last two decades. Second, it emphasizes the numerous, clinically relevant problems which are still unsolved.

Progress in pancreatology is based primarily on a close cooperation between gastroenterologists, visceral surgeons, radiologists, endoscopists and basic scientists. Unfortunately, one important discipline is still largely absent – the pathology – because the pancreas is not accessible to routine biopsy comparable to liver biopsy. On the other hand, basic science has made major contributions recently towards an improved understanding of the pathobiology of pancreatitis.

The book provides an overview of the current knowledge of pancreatology by internationally recognized experts, who also discuss open questions and different standpoints. In pancreatology like in physics we have to recognize the idea which was expressed by the physicist and Nobel Laureate W. Pauli (1900--1958): "the question is never: will the present theory remain or not, the question is always: in what direction will it change."

Feature:

Interdisciplinary symposium bringing together basic science and clinical applications

Up-to-date research findings at the highest scientific level

Contents:

List of principal contributors Preface ACUTE PANCREATITIS I SECTION I: PATHOBIOLOGY OF ACUTE PANCREATITIS Chair: C Imrie, RM Schmid 1 Where and how does acute pancreatitis begin? ML Steer, A Sharma, X-H Tao, G Perides 2 Clinical relevance of experimental models of acute pancreatitis J Mayerle, FU Weiss, MM Lerch SECTION II: CLINICAL PRESENTATION, DIAGNOSIS, STAGING Chair: CD Johnson, MV Singer 3 Acute pancreatitis: epidemiology and aetiology PG Lankisch, P Maisonneuve, AB Lowenfels 4 Acute pancreatitis: diagnostic gold standard -- new perspectives? L Gullo 5 Acute pancreatitis: when to perform computed tomography PC Freeny ACUTE PANCREATITIS II SECTION III: CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES OF THERAPY Chair: MW Büchler, UR Fölsch 6 Controversies in the treatment of acute pancreatitis: antibiotic therapy -- when and why? J Werner, MW Büchler 7 Acute pancreatitis: benefit of early enteral feeding? D Bimmler 8 Sterile necrosis and/or pseudocyst -- endoscopic intervention, surgery, or wait and see? PA Banks 9 Acute pancreatitis: evidence-based indications for surgery -- the current concept M Schäfer, S Heinrich, PA Clavien SECTION IV: LONG-TERM COURSE AND OUTCOME Chair: S Bank, AB Lowenfels 10 Prediction of outcome in acute pancreatitis: death and local complications CD Johnson 11 Recovery after severe pancreatitis V Keim 12 Recurrent acute pancreatitis JBMJ Jansen, JPH Drenth CHRONIC PANCREATITIS I SECTION V: PATHOBIOLOGY OF CHRONIC PANCREATITIS Chair: G Klöppel, D Whitcomb 13 Experimental models of pancreatic fibrogenesis MV Apte, JS Wilson 14 Gene mutations as a cause of chronic pancreatitis DC Whitcomb SECTION VI: CLINICALDIAGNOSIS AND CLASSIFICATION Chair: P Banks, L Gullo 15 To define chronic pancreatitis M Sarner 16 Diagnosis of early stages of chronic pancreatitis using computed tomography PC Freeny CHRONIC PANCREATITIS II SECTION VII: CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES OF THERAPY Chair: P Layer, J Mössner 17 Mechanisms of pain in chronic pancreatitis FS Lehmann, C Beglinger 18 Chronic pancreatitis: controversies in pain therapy, medical therapeutic options J Mössner 19 Chronic pancreatitis: endoscopic versus surgical procedures for pain relief N Alexakis, JP Neoptolemos SECTION VIII: TREATMENT OF COMPLICATIONS AND OUTCOME Chair: G Adler, PG Lankisch 20 Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency: rational treatment and its pathophysiological basis P Layer 21 Pancreatic enzyme therapy in cystic fibrosis M Stern, A Hofmann 22 Optimal control of diabetes mellitus in pancreatitis FJM Göke, B Göke 23 Chronic pancreatitis: precursor of carcinoma? AB Lowenfels, P Maisonneuve 24 Mortality and survival in chronic pancreatitis: a personal and international study S Bank, N Pooran, J Xie, R Brunner Index