Frey procedure for chronic pancreatitis in children: A single center experience

BackgroundThere is paucity of literature regarding the Frey procedure for children with chronic pancreatitis. The purpose of this study is to present our experience with the Frey procedure in children.MethodsThis is an observational retrospective review study. All children, who underwent a Frey procedure between August 2007 and May 2014 in the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India were included in this study.ResultsTwenty four children were included in our study. There were 13 girls and 11 boys. Mean age at operation was 13.95 years (range, 4 to 18 years). Mean duration between the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis and surgery was 4.41 years (range, 1 to 14 years). Frey procedure was performed after failure of medical or endoscopic therapy. Mean duration of operation and blood loss were 215 minutes (range, 150–300 minutes) and 177 ml (range, 50 to 500 ml) respectively. Average postoperative hospital stay was 8 days (range, 5 to 16 days). Five patients (21%) developed postoperative complications. There was no in hospital mortality and no patient required reoperation for postoperative complications. More than a median follow-up of 29 months (range, 3–78 months), 91% of the patients remained pain free.ConclusionFrey procedure is safe and feasible in children with acceptable perioperative complications and good short-term pain control.