| [ Summary ] |
New clinical diagnostic criteria for chronic pancreatitis are characterized by a pathological lesion involving the whole pancreas and histologically by both the loss of parenchyma and irregular fibrosis. The fibrosis of chronic pancreatitis is distributed mainly in the interlobular area, not in the intralobular area alone. Further discussion is needed regarding the extent of interlobular fibrosis, in order to make a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. On the other hand, if carcinoma was not identified in a surgical specimen which was removed under clinical diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma, the pathological diagnosis might be misinterpreted as chronic pancreatitis. Therefore, it merits emphasis that care should be taken with both fibrosis and nonspecific lesions which are not suitable for the criteria of chronic pancreatitis. |