Buchler et al developed a classification system for staging patients with chronic pancreatitis. The authors are from the University of Heidelberg, Technical University Munich and Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg.
Patient selection: chronic pancreatitis
Clinical and imaging findings:
(1) pain
(2) recurrent attacks of acute pancreatitis
(3) complications of chronic pancreatitis
(4) steatorrhea
(5) diabetes mellitus
(6) CT, MRI, ultrasound, endoscopic ultrasonography, and/ERCP
Complications:
(1) bile duct obstruction/stenosis with cholestasis or jaundice
(2) duodenal obstruction/stenosis
(3) vascular obstruction/stenosis involving portal and/or splenic vein
(4) pancreatic pseudocysts
(5) pancreatic fistula
(6) pancreatogenic ascites
(7) other rare complications in adjacent organs (colon stenosis, splenic pseudocyts, etc)
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Finding
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Stage A
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Stage B
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Stage C
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pain and/or acute pancratitis
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one or both
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NA
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NA
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complications
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absent
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present
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variable
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steatorrhea
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absent
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absent
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variable
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insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
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absent
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absent
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variable
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Stage C may be divided into:
C1: diabetes mellitus (endocrine function impairment)
C2: steatorrhea (exocrine function impairment)
C3: both diabetes and steatorrhea AND/OR complications
The system uses the following scheme for reporting:
chronic pancreatitis (), stage,
