Endoscopic treatment of pancreatic pseudocysts.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of therapeutic endoscopy in the treatment of pancreatic pseudocysts, and to define factors limiting endoscopic therapy.

METHODS: The results of therapeutic endoscopy were evaluated for 170 patients with pancreatic pseudocysts treated at the Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, during the 6-year period from 1998 to 2003.

RESULTS: The therapeutic endoscopy success rate was 86.1%, with 23 (13.9%) patients requiring operative treatment because therapeutic endoscopy was unsuccessful or technically impossible. There was little morbidity and no procedure-related mortality. The majority of the 38 complications, which arose from 380 procedures, could be treated conservatively.

CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic methods are safe and effective for the treatment of pancreatic pseudocysts. The indications for surgery include inaccessible pancreatic duct, location, or content of the pseudocyst rendering the problem not amenable to endoscopic therapy, as well as complications of the endoscopic treatment.