Management of pancreatic abscess following acute pancreatitis

Abstract

Pancreatic abscess occurs as sequelae of acute pancreatitis. The standard treatment of infected pancreatic abscess is open surgical drainage and antibiotics. Recently, minimally invasive drainage methods such as image-guided percutaneous catheter drainage, transluminal endoscopic drainage through the stomach or duodenum, and retroperitoneal surgical drainage are becoming the trend. Open surgical drainage has a drawback of triggering a strong inflammatory response that can lead to multi-organ failure, bleeding, and gastrointestinal fistula unlike the minimally invasive approach. However, in the absence of facilities and expertise for minimally invasive drainage techniques, coupled with a patient with extensive/diffuse pancreatic necrosis and clinical deterioration, open surgical drainage may suffice. We report a case of pancreatic abscess which developed in a middle-aged man after few months of treatment and recovery from acute pancreatitis that was managed by open surgical drainage and parenteral antibiotics with good outcome.

Keywords

• good outcome
• open surgical drainage
• pancreatic abscess