Published online Jul 16, 2022. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v14.i7.443
Peer-review started: January 27, 2022
First decision: April 10, 2022
Revised: May 3, 2022
Accepted: June 20, 2022
Article in press: June 20, 2022
Published online: July 16, 2022
Processing time: 167 Days and 9.2 Hours
Treatment for severe acute severe pancreatitis (SAP) can significantly affect Health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). The effects of different treatment strategies such as endoscopic and surgical necrosectomy on HR-QoL in patients with SAP remain poorly investigated.
To critically appraise the available evidence on HR-QoL following surgical or endoscopic necrosectomy in patient with SAP.
A literature search was performed on PubMed, Google™ Scholar, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and Reference Citation Analysis databases for studies that investigated HR-QoL following surgical or endoscopic necrosectomy in patients with SAP. Data collected included patient characteristics, outcomes of interventions and HR-QoL-related details.
Eleven studies were found to have evaluated HR-QoL following treatment for severe acute pancreatitis including 756 patients. Three studies were randomized trials, four were prospective cohort studies and four were retrospective cohort studies with prospective follow-up. Four studies compared HR-QoL following surgical and endoscopic necrosectomy. Several metrics of HR-QoL were used including Short Form (SF)-36 and EuroQol. One randomized trial and one cohort study demonstrated significantly improved physical scores at three months in patients who underwent endoscopic necrosectomy compared to surgical necrosectomy. One prospective study that examined HR-QoL following surgical necrosectomy reported some deterioration in the functional status of the patients. On the other hand, a cohort study that assessed the long-term HR-QoL following sequential surgical necrosectomy stated that all patients had SF-36 > 60%. In the only study that examined patients following endoscopic necrosectomy, the HR-QoL was also very good. Three studies investigated the quality adjusted life years suggesting that endoscopic and surgical approaches to management of pancreatic necrosis were comparable in cost effectiveness. Finally, regarding HR-QoL between open necrosectomy and minimally invasive approaches, patients who underwent the later had a significantly better overall quality of life, vitality and mental health.
This review would suggest that the endoscopic approach might offer better HR-QoL compared to surgical necrosectomy. However, the available comparative literature was very limited. More randomized trials powered to detect differences in HR-QoL are required.
Core Tip: Acute pancreatitis is a common disease with potentially life-threatening complications. Treatment for severe acute pancreatitis can significantly affect health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). The effects of different treatment strategies such as endoscopic and surgical necrosectomy on HR-QoL remain poorly investigated. In this review, we critically analyze the available evidence on HR-QoL following treatment for severe acute pancreatitis. It could be suggested that endoscopic necrosectomy could offer better HR-QoL compared to surgical necrosectomy.