Publication:

Sphlanchic nerve radiofrequency ablation for chronic pancreatitis

Background Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is defined as a progressive inflammatory response of the pancreas leading to irreversible changes in the parenchyma (fibrosis, loss of acini and islets of langerhans, and pancreatic stone formation) and pancreatic duct (stenosis and pancreatic stones).

Methods This was a retrospective observational study and was conducted in Rushmono pain clinic at Rushmono Specialized Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period from January 2018 to January 2024. In our study, we included 50 hospitalized patients who had undergone splanchnic nerve RFA ablation for pain of chronic pancreatitis.

Result We found the mean age was 32.8±9.3 years. Most of our patients were male (78%) compared to female (22%). Among our patients, 78% were smokers, 62% of patients consumed alcohol and 42% had a history of hypertension. All of our patients (100%) had bilateral RFSN.  At baseline, the mean VAS score was 9.84±1.02 and in 1st postoperative day, the mean VAS score was 4.14±1.03 with a significant p value (0.021). At the 12th month of follow-up, the mean VAS score slightly increased to the last follow-up and the difference was not significant. The majority (84%) of our patients had no complications.

Conclusion Our findings suggest that RFSN is likely a safe, minimally invasive way to manage pain in people with chronic pancreatitis. In the current study, our patients' mean VAS scores of pain levels significantly dropped after RFSN procedures.