Pancreatic abscess. A study of 32 cases.

Abscesses developing as sequelae of acute pancreatic inflammation are infrequent and serious surgical complications11,12which usually present a confusing clinical picture. In addition, their successful management is beset by many problems in diagnosis, localization of the abscess, selection of the correct type of surgical operation, and recognition and treatment of a variety of complications. The sparse number of published reports of patients with pancreatic abscess and the absence of any comprehensive review of this subject in the literature were both surprising. The first successful treatment of this condition was apparently reported by Davis in 1917.5Beller and Nach reported a case in 1942 and reviewed five previously reported cases.3Eleven years later Welborn reported three more cases,13but the remainder of reports have dealt with only one or two patients. A thorough clinical review and study of the subject have been made after several patients with