Specialty Procedures:
Surgical Procedures for Pancreatitis

Surgery for pancreatitis is reserved for the complications of pancreatitis, not the presence of pancreatitis. These complications include infection, bleeding, blockage of the main ducts of the pancreas, leakage of pancreatic fluid (sometimes called a fistula) or chronic pain associated with the inflammation.

Surgery is used to alleviate symptoms. Most cases of pancreatitis do not require surgery, but if they do, highly skilled surgeons who are used to dealing with the complications of this disease should be used. The Brigham and Women's Hospital is one of a few centers in the Northeast that has in-depth experience with pancreatitis and the surgery associated with it. We have recently published one of the largest series on the treatment of pancreatic necrosis (that is, a serious complication of pancreatitis).