Endoscopic Therapy and Exocrine/Endocrine Insuff...
While abdominal pain is the main indication for pancreatic endotherapy，the outcome of endotherapy on exocrine or endocrine insufficiency are inconclusive.Longitudinal studies show that despite endotherapy，pancreatic function generally deteriorates with time.In a study with 636 patients，the number of patients with diabetes mellitus nearly doubled（75-139 patients）during a long-term follow-up of more than 5 years（Tandan et al.2013）.However，the number of patients with steatorrhoea remained relatively the same during that period.(https://www.daowen.com)
However，Inui et al.reported postendotherapy improvement in both endocrine and exocrine functions in 24.3%and 38%of patients，respectively（Inui et al.2005）.In addition，Tadenuma et al.showed greater deterioration of exocrine function over time in patients with incomplete stone removal than those who had complete removal（Tadenuma et al.2005）.Moreover，in those who had complete stone removal，a smaller proportion required insulin at long-term follow-up compared to those who had incomplete stone removal；13.5%versus 39.4%.Thus，pancreatic function appears to improve in some patients but well-designed studies are necessary to specifically investigate the effect of endotherapy on exocrine and endocrine functions.