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Recent studies have added to the controversy regarding the role of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in the management of patients with acute biliary pancreatitis. This debate is due in part to a marked difference between the trials regarding the definition of “complication” as an outcome. This study sought to determine the effect of early ERCP versus conservative treatment on local pancreatic complications (defined by the current classification) experienced by patients with acute biliary pancreatitis. Electronic databases (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Science Citation Index) and conference proceedings were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials up to December 2007. The effect of both treatment strategies on local pancreatic complications was calculated with random-effects models. Five trials involving 717 patients were included in this systematic review. Pooled analysis of all the patients with acute pancreatitis did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference between the two treatment strategies (relative risk [RR], 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63–1.40; p = 0.62). Similar results were observed after subgroup analysis based on the severity of disease as follows: mild acute pancreatitis (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.26–2.47; p = 0.69); severe acute pancreatitis (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.30–1.98; p = 0.59). The early use of ERCP did not result in a significantly reduced risk of local pancreatic complications for either patients with mild acute pancreatitis or those with severe form of the disease.

Pancreatitis affects 0.5% people with cystic fibrosis (CF) in the UK and 0.01% of the normal population. Why do some with CF get pancreatitis and some not? And does pancreatitis in neonates result in pancreatic failure with no further inflammation or risk of pancreatic cancer? Review of the literature would suggest that 85% of those with CF have pancreatic destruction as children with minimal risk of further inflammatory or neoplastic changes. Those with a functioning pancreas are at risk of developing pancreatitis. There are several case series of pancreatic cancer reported in CF patients, but overall the risk is unknown. As patients with CF and pancreatic sufficiency are living longer, further studies to assess the risk of developing pancreatic cancer in this subgroup should be considered.

Background: Infectious complications are the main cause of late death in patients with acute pancreatitis. Routine prophylactic antibiotic use following a severe attack has been proposed but remains controversial. On the other hand, nutritional support has recently yielded promising clinical results. The aim of study was to compare enteral vs. parenteral feeding for prevention of infectious complications in patients with predicted severe acute pancreatitis. Methods: We screened 466 consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis. A total of 70 patients with objectively graded severe acute pancreatitis were randomly allocated to receive either total enteral nutrition (TEN) or total parenteral nutrition (TPN), within 72 h of onset of symptoms. Baseline characteristics were well matched in the two groups. Results: The incidence of pancreatic infectious complications (infected pancreatic necrosis, pancreatic abscess) was significantly lower in the enterally fed group (7 vs. 16, p = 0.02). In the TEN group, 7 patients developed multiple organ failure whereas 17 parenterally fed patients developed multiple organ failure (p = 0.02). Overall mortality was 20% with two deaths in the TEN group and twelve in the TPN group (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Early TEN could be used as prophylactic therapy for infected pancreatic necrosis since it significantly decreased the incidence of pancreatic infectious complications as well as the frequency of multiple organ failure and mortality.