Pancreatic neck rupture.

Aim of the study. Through four cases of pancreatic neck rupture, the study aim was to emphasize the advantages of an early laparotomy when there is a doubt about a canal disruption and the risks of a later surgical management . Patients and results: Four patients were operated on for a neck disruption of the pancreas due to blunt trauma. Two patients underwent laparotomy in t he first 48 hours after a radiological exploration and underwent a left pan createctomy with spleen preservation. There were no associated injuries, no lesions of acute pancreatitis. The two other patients were, at first, medi cally treated and developed an acute pancreatitis with pseudocyst. They und erwent laparotomy, 7 and 10 days after the trauma because of pain and hyper thermia, and a conservative treatment by cystojejunostomy was performed in difficult conditions because of the acute pancreatitis. A late pancreatic p seudocyst (4 and 6 months) occured in two patients. Conclusion: When pancreatic trauma occurs, an exploration with echography, scanner, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or magnetic resonan ce cholangiopancreatography can suggest a neck disruption and a canal ruptu re. When the canal is safe, a drainage close to the pancreas is sufficient. When the rupture of the canal is suspected or proved, an early laparotomy is necessary in order to investigate the pancreas and to perform the approp riate procedure. This surgery is easier before the occurence of pseudocyst and acute pancreatitis. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevi er SAS.