This volume is a compendium of the lectures, presentations, and workshops of the International Congress entitled "Facing the Pancreatic Dilemma" and of the 17th Meeting of the Italian Association for the Study of the Pancreas, held in Verona on 16 -19 June 1993. Pancreatology is still a relatively young science. Many pathophysiological aspects of pancreatic disease are as yet obscure, and a fair number of the etio pathogenetic mechanisms adduced are no more than hypothetical. We have therefore chosen to compare and contrast in a single volume the various hypo theses and interpretations put forward by leading experts in the field. In view of the swift evolution of this branch of medical science, it is sound policy to bear in mind that yesterday's heresies have become today's orthodoxy, and that todays's heresies may well turn out to be accepted orthodoxy in a not too distant future. The various "pancreatic dilemmas" are addressed systematically in these pages, and we believe that the book will prove an invaluable tool for the special ist and for any physician dealing with pancreatic disease. The book also represents a tribute by the Verona School of Pancreatology to the memory of Prof. L. A. Scuro, founder of the School and one of the outstanding Italian pioneers of pancreatology.

1 Terminology of Acute Pancreatitis: Clinical Application

State of Art
Opinion from Spain
Opinion from Germany
Opinion from the United States
Opinion from Italy
2 Sterile Necrosis: Surgical Indications?
State of Art
Opinion from Italy
Opinion from the United Kingdom
3 Idiopathic Recurrent Pancreatitis
State of Art
Opinion from the United States
Opinion from the United Kingdom
Opinion from Italy
Endoscopist's Point of View
4 Do Chronic Pancreatitis Patients All Have the Same Disease?
State of Art
Opinion from Greece
Opinion from Italy
Opinion from Portugal
5 Controversies in Chronic Pancreatitis Treatment
State of Art
Pain Treatment
Medical Treatment
What Kind of Pancreatic Extract to Use?
Endoscopic Treatment
Resective Surgical Treatment
Derivative Surgical Treatment
6 Molecular Biology of Pancreatic Cancer
The Role of Islets in Experimental Pancreatic Cancer
Genetic Alterations
Genetic Alterations in Different Countries
Growth Factors
Receptors and Their Modulation
Enzymology
Tumor-Associated Antigen: Clinical Practice and Future
Ampullary Cancers: Correlation of Morphology, Stage, and Genetic Abnormalities
7 Antibiotics and Pancreas
Microbiology and Sources of Pancreatic Pathogens in Acute Pancreatitis
Pharmacokinetics of Antibiotics in the Pancreas
Overview of Clinical Experiences
8 Treatment of Pancreatic Fistulas
State of Art
Pancreatic Rest
Medical Treatment: How and How Long?
Indications for Surgery and Surgical Technique
9 Cystic Tumors of the Pancreas
Possibilities of Radiologic Characterization
Pathology
Surgical Treatment
10 Heresies and Orthodoxies
Somatostatin in Pancreatic Surgery
Gabexate Mesilate and Acute Pancreatitis
Endoscopic RetrogradeCholangiopancreatography in Acute Pancreatitis
Pathomorphology of Acute Pancreatitis
Alcohol and Pancreas
Nutrition and the Pancreas
Therapeutic Strategies in Experimental Acute Pancreatitis
Chronic Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Cancer: Are They Related?.