Diagnosis and treatment of chronic pancreatitis

In your opinion, what are the most important recommendations in the current United European Gastroenterology (UEG) evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pancreatitis?

Miroslav Vujasinovic, MD, PhD: I think that the concept of the guidelines is most important because the primary aim was to harmonize the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pancreatitis across Europe. This is most important because it was not just the guidelines of a few opinion leaders or opinion makers.

[The guidelines were written] under the umbrella of UEG. All countries, all national societies had the possibility to send their representatives to help us to develop the guidelines. We covered absolutely all aspects of the treatment of chronic pancreatitis, from radiology to surgery and anesthesiology. We also emphasized all complications of chronic pancreatitis.

From my point of view, what is most important is that we emphasize pancreatic exocrine and endocrine insufficiency as the complications that are definitely underdiagnosed. In the last 15 years there has been an increasing body of knowledge on this topic and this is what we emphasize right now.

There is also maldigestion in patients with mild to moderate chronic pancreatitis, and this is something that we should take into consideration.