Effect of Pancreatic Duct Stent Diameter on Hospitalization in Chronic Pancreatits: A Retrospective Analysis

Background: Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by abdominal pain. In individuals with pancreatic duct (PD) dilation, endoscopic therapy with PD stenting for duct decompression is effective at reducing pain. Few studies have compared response to different PD stent diameters. In this study, the effect of pancreatic duct stent diameter on hospitalization for abdominal pain is compared retrospectively. Methods: An existing database was queried to identify individuals who received PD stenting for chronic pancreatitis. A chart review was performed to identify the number of hospitalizations for abdominal pain and follow-up time for each individual. Each patient was placed into one of two groups based on the pancreatic duct stent diameter used: 1) ≤ 8.5 French diameter stents, and 2) 10 French diameter stents. The main outcome was number of hospitalizations adjusting for varying follow-up time and controlling for age, gender, and etiology of pancreatitis using a negative binomial model. Results: One hundred sixty-three patients (107 men) underwent PD stent placement for chronic pancreatitis from October 1995 to September 2007. The mean (± standard deviation) age was 52.0 (± 13.7) years with a mean follow-up time of 3.0 (± 2.6) years. One hundred twenty-nine (79%) received predominantly PD stents ≤ 8.5 French and 34 (21%) received predominantly PD stents 10 French in diameter. There was no statistically significant difference in population characteristics between the ≤ 8.5 French ii and 10 French groups. Using a negative binomial model, the 10 French group had a statistically significant (p = 0.01) lower rate of hospitalization for abdominal pain after accounting for varying follow-up time and controlling for age, gender, etiology of chronic pancreatitis, number of PD stents, and year of stent placement. Conclusion: Individuals who receive larger diameter pancreatic duct stents for chronic pancreatitis are likely to have fewer hospitalizations for abdominal pain regardless of age, gender, and etiology of chronic pancreatitis. Prospective studies are needed to compare outcomes related to differences in endoscopic therapies, including pancreatic duct stent diameter, for chronic pancreatitis.

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