Pancreatic–pleural fistula is best managed by early operative intervention

BackgroundPancreatic–pleural fistula is an uncommon complication of chronic pancreatitis occurring as a result of disruption of the main pancreatic duct and tracking of pancreatic fluid through the retroperitoneum into 1 or both thoracic cavities. The optimal treatment strategy for pancreatic–pleural fistula is unknown; it has traditionally been medical management followed by operative therapy for patients who fail to respond to conservative treatment. Our objective was to compile the case reports of pancreatic–pleural fistula in the literature in order to better define clinical management strategy.MethodsThe case management of pancreatic–pleural fistula was reviewed and a structured MEDLINE search for published studies was performed. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed on compiled data.ResultsReview of the literature revealed 63 adult patients with pancreatic–pleural fistula published in English between 1970 and 2008. The majority of patients were male (71%) and there was a predominance of alcohol-associated chronic pancreatitis (51%). There were 10 complications (16%) and 2 deaths (3%) reported. Most patients were treated initially with medical therapy (87%). Medical therapy was deemed to have failed after an average period of 35 ± 5 days. Total duration of therapy for patients in whom operative intervention was required after attempted medical management was 40 ± 6 days, which was greater than the surgery alone cohort. In total, operative treatment was successful more often than medical therapy (94% vs 31%).ConclusionAnalysis from this series indicates that a majority of patients recover from pancreatic–pleural fistula without sequelae (81%). Attempts at prolonged periods of medical therapy tend to delay the resolution of the fistula compared with patients who undergo definitive operative intervention early in the course of treatment.