Chapter 40

Management of Chronic Pancreatic Pseudocyst

When to Observe, When and How to Drain?

Shyam Varadarajulu

Shyam Varadarajulu

Center for Interventional Endoscopy, AdventHealth Orlando, Orlando, FL, USA

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First published: 16 April 2021

Summary

Pancreatic pseudocysts are a well-known consequence of acute and chronic pancreatitis. This chapter highlights the strategies for management of pancreatic pseudocysts. It provides background into the current definition and the indications for and timing of intervention, and describes the various drainage techniques, adverse events, and postprocedure management. Drainage is indicated only for patients who are symptomatic, have rapidly enlarging pseudocysts, or have systemic illness as a result of an infected pseudocyst that does not improve with medical management. Pseudocysts can be drained under endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guidance or by using a forward- or side-viewing endoscope without EUS, which is termed conventional transmural drainage. Air embolization is a rare but fatal adverse event, likely occurring secondary to a pressure gradient in an exposed uncompressed vein, and therefore procedures should ideally be performed with carbon dioxide insufflation to reduce the incidence and outcome severity.

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