These proceedings of an international meeting held as recently as December 1996 cover diagnostic procedures in pancreatic disease, together with the progress made over the last 10 years in treating acute and chronic pancreatitis as well as pancreatic cancer. The meeting also covered standards in medical and surgical treatment. For one whole decade, a panel of international specialists devoted itself to the study and management of pancreatic diseases, together with the different diagnostic methods available. Their diagnostic findings are reproduced in this book, which contains the proceedings of an international meeting held in Magdeburg in December 1995. The rationale for the interpretation of the findings is derived from an understanding of the basic physiological and pathophysiological events and the resultant morphological alterations. Alongside the progress made in the last 10 years in the areas of acute and chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, the panel discusses advances in laboratory and functional methods, the future of imaging, pathomorphological and molecular biological procedures, and the clinical features of the various pancreatic diseases.

Classification of Pancreatitis: Problems and Prospects

A. Acute Pancreatitis
Morphology of Acute Pancreatitis in Relation to Etiology and Pathogenesis
Clinical Presentation and Course of Acute Pancreatitis
I. Imaging Procedures
Ultrasound in the Diagnosis and Grading of Acute Pancreatitis
Computed Tomography in Acute Pancreatitis: Diagnosis, Staging, and Detection of Complications
Diagnosis of Infected Pancreatic Necrosis
Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in Acute Pancreatitis: Indications and Limitations
II. Functional Methods
Appropriate Use of Serum Pancreatic Enzymes for the Diagnosis of Acute Pancreatitis
Identification of the Etiological Factor in Acute Pancreatitis
Exocrine Pancreatic Function During and Following Acute Pancreatitis
Endocrine Pancreatic Function During and Following Acute Pancreatitis
III. Prognostic Evaluation
Pathophysiological Determinants of Severity of Acute Pancreatitis
Clinical Value of Multifactorial Classification in the Prognostic Evaluation of Acute Pancreatitis
Biochemical Markers in the Early Prognostic Evaluation of Acute Pancreatitis
Prognostic Evaluation of Acute Pancreatitis: When- and How-Consequences for Clinical Management
Diagnostic and Prognostic Evaluation of Graft Pancreatitis
IV. Guidelines
Acute Pancreatitis: Diagnostic Guidelines for General Practitioners, Clinicians in Community Hospitals and in Specialized Centers
B. Chronic Pancreatitis
I. Chronic Pancreatitis: Clinical Features
Pathomorphological Feature of Chronic Pancreatitis
Pathophysiological Events in Chronic Pancreatitis: The Current Concept
Clinical Presentation and Course of Chronic Pancreatitis
Painless Versus Painful Chronic Pancreatitis
II. Imaging Procedures
Role of Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis, Staging and Detection of Complications of Chronic Pancreatitis
Diagnosis and Staging of Chronic Pancreatitis by Computed Tomography
Diagnosis and Staging of Chronic Pancreatitis by Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
Radiologic Imaging of Chronic Pancreatitis
Role of Pancreatic Duct Drainage for Evaluation of Pancreatic Pain
What Does the Surgeon Need in the Preoperative Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis?
III. Function Tests
Neuroendocrine Abnormalities of Upper Gut Function in Chronic Pancreatitis: Lessons for Physiology and Pathophysiology
Direct Pancreatic Function Tests in the Diagnosis and Staging of Chronic Pancreatitis
Oral Pancreatic Function Tests in the Diagnosis and Staging of Chronic Pancreatitis
Present and Future of Breath Tests in the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Insufficiency
Value of Serum Pancreatic Enzymes in the Diagnosis of Chronic Pancreatitis
New Fecal Tests in the Diagnosis of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency
Extracellular Matrix in Pancreatic Diseases
Endocrine Pancreatic Function in the Diagnosis and Staging of Chronic Pancreatitis
IV. Chronic Pancreatitis: Guidelines
Diagnostic Standards for Chronic Pancreatitis
Standards in Surgical Treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis
C. Pancreatic Cancer
Langerhans Islets Are the Origin of Ductal-Type Adenocarcinoma
I. Imaging Procedures
Ultrasound and Endoscopic Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Tumors
Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Pancreatic Cancer
Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Tumors
Role of Laparoscopy and Laparoscopic Ultrasound in Pancreatic Cancer
Intraportal Ultrasonography for Evaluation of Resectability in Pancreatic Cancer
II. Other Diagnostic Procedures
Serological Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer
Role of Cytology in the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Tumors
Scintigraphic Procedures in the Detection of Pancreatic Tumors: Role of Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography
III. Molecular Biology
Clinical Applicability of Molecular Procedures in the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer
IV. Guidelines
Pancreatic Cancer: Diagnostic Gu