Active clinical trials for "Pancreatitis"

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare a conventional endoscopic step-up approach with an accelerated treatment algorithm using direct endoscopic necrosectomy in patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis and walled of necroses exceeding a diameter of 15 cm. It will be investigated whether an aggressive treatment algorithm instead of a classical step-up approach will shorten the length of stay in the hospital and also reduce the mortality in patients treated for large walled off necroses.

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an acute inflammatory disease of variable severity. Mild cases have an uncomplicated clinical course, but local and systemic complications occur in one-third of patients and are associated with a longer hospital stay, increased morbidity, increased hospital costs, and increased risk of death. Some evidence suggests that fluid resuscitation with lactated Ringer's solution (LR) may have an anti-inflammatory effect on AP when compared to normal saline (NS), and may be associated with a decrease in severity, but randomized controlled trials showed conflicting results. The WATERLAND trial has been designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of fluid resuscitation using LR as compared with NS in patients with AP. Methods: The WATERLAND trial is an international multicenter, open-label, parallel-group, randomized, controlled, superiority trial. Patients will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive LR versus NS-based moderate fluid resuscitation. The primary outcome will be moderately severe to severe AP, according to the revision of the Atlanta classification. The primary safety outcome will be a composite variable involving any of the following: fluid overload, acute kidney injury, hyperkalemia, hypercalcemia, or acidosis. A total sample of 720 patients, 360 in the LR group and 360 in the NS group will achieve 90% power to detect a difference between the group proportions of 10%, assuming that the frequency of moderately severe to severe AP in LR group will be 17%. The frequency in the NS group is assumed to be 27% under the null hypothesis and 17% under the alternative hypothesis. The test statistic used is the two-sided Z test with pooled variance set at a 0.05 significance level.

Pain in CP entails several independent yet overlapping mechanisms including oxidative stress-mediated parenchymal inflammation, pancreatic and central neuropathy and neuroplasticity. Medical modalities for long-term pain management includes antioxidants and neuromodulators. Pancreatic enzymes are also invariably used for pain management. CP with ductal obstruction and pain is treated with either endotherapy or drainage surgery. However, it has been observed that a substantially increasing proportion of patients experience pain recurrence as the duration of follow-up after endotherapy or surgery gets longer. Neural and dietary (proteins) stimuli activate CCK receptors in D1 & D2 which gives a positive feedback signal for pancreatic secretion. Once enzyme secretion starts, due to ductal and interstitial/tissue hypertension, nociception begins that results in pain. Blockade of the duodenal CCK receptors could inhibit the positive feedback loop, thereby reducing pancreatic secretion and resulting pain. Currently available enteric coated enzyme supplements are released throughout the small bowel and therefore may not be released sufficiently in the duodenum to effectively suppress the feedback loops. High doses of proteases (~25k-30k) would be required to block the receptors, while most of the currently available preparations have higher lipase but not proteases. This led to the investigators' hypothesis that negative feedback of CCK by non enteric coated pancreatic enzymes could ameliorate pain in a more effective manner by NE-PERT.

The investigators propose to conduct a dose-escalation trial of an FDA-approved antiepileptic drug, lacosamide, added to opioid therapy in patients with chronic abdominal pain from chronic pancreatitis (CP). This pilot trial will test the feasibility of the study design and provide reassurance regarding the tolerability and safety of lacosamide used concomitantly with opioids in this patient population to reduce the condition known clinically as opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH).

Chronic pancreatitis is a rare but debilitating condition associated with chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea, diabetes, and an 8-fold increased risk for the development of pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, there is no available treatment to prevent the progression of chronic pancreatitis, and most subjects require narcotic medications to control the pain. A receptor protein call the CCK-B receptor becomes activated in chronic pancreatitis and is in part responsible for the scar tissue or fibrosis that occurs and responsible for the cancer risk. In mice with chronic pancreatitis, the inflammation and damage was reversed with an old drug called proglumide that blocks the activation of the CCK-B receptor. Proglumide has also been shown to possibly reduce pain. This protocol involved a 2-Part study to test the safety of oral proglumide in those with confirmed chronic pancreatitis and the second goal is to determine if proglumide improves pain and function of the pancreas. Part-1 is an open-labelled Lead-in Study of N=8 subjects over a 12-week treatment period. Part-2 is a randomized double blind pseudo cross over study where subjects will be treated in Arm A (placebo for 12 weeks followed by 12 weeks of proglumide) and Arm B ( proglumide for 24 weeks).

Walled-off necrosis (WON) is a pancreatic fluid collection, which contains necrotic tissue after four weeks of the onset of acute pancreatitis. Interventions are required to manage patients with infected WON, for which endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided drainage has become a first-line treatment modality. For patients who are refractory to EUS-guided drainage, the step-up treatment including endoscopic necrosectomy (EN) and/or additional drainage is considered to subside the infection. Recent evidence suggests that EN immediately after EUS-guided drainage may shorten treatment duration without increasing adverse events. In this randomized trial, the investigators will compare treatment duration between EN immediately after EUS-guided drainage versus the step-up approach in patients with symptomatic WON.

ESGE guidelines suggests 30-60 seconds endoscopic large balloon papillary dilation from the disappearance of the waist of the papilla. The investigators have good results in stone removal with much quicker dilatations when the cholangiogram is followed and the dilation is finished as soon as the disappearance of the waist of the papilla is seen. This Scandinavian multicenter prospective study is especially interested in stone clearance rate and short and long-term adverse events such as pancreatitis, cholangitis, bleeding, perforations, residual biliary stones, and newly developing biliary stones.

The purpose of this pilot study to examine the feasibility and acceptability of paricalcitol in adults with Chronic Pancreatitis (CP).

Mortality from severe acute pancreatitis reaches 42%. The prognosis of acute pancreatitis is associated with the development of acute inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and multiple organ failure (MOF). Due to the lack of etiological therapy, the treatment of acute pancreatitis is predominantly symptomatic. Severity and mortality are associated with early systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and septic complications in the later stages of the disease. In connection with a pronounced inflammatory reaction ("cytokine storm") in the early phase of endogenous intoxication of acute pancreatitis, a promising therapeutic approach is the extracorporeal removal of cytokines. This prospective study intends to study the effect of hemoperfusion (Efferon CT) in combination with high-volume hemofiltration (HVHF) on the severity of symptoms of endogenous intoxication and indicators of organ dysfunction in acute pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis is one of the most common diagnoses made in gastroenterology wards worldwide which causes a great deal of pain and expense along with fatal complications. Approximately, 10-20% of patients progress to necrotizing pancreatitis that result in significant morbidity and mortality. Initial conservative management may be feasible in necrotizing pancreatitis, however the majority of patients with infected necrosis or persistent symptoms will eventually require a drainage procedure. Drainage procedures for necrotizing pancreatitis include open surgery, minimally invasive surgery, percutaneous drainage, and endoscopic drainage. In the recent years, minimally invasive approaches have largely replaced open surgical necrosectomy. Endoscopic drainage of walled off pancreatic necrosis involves creation of a transmural fistula between the enteral lumen and WOPN cavity with stent placement under endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guidance. Furthermore, direct endoscopic necrosectomy can be performed through the fistula track. The best timing for endoscopic necrosectomy is not yet defined. A recent retrospective study suggested that immediate necrosectomy after stent placement results in earlier resolution of WOPN with fewer sessions of endoscopic necrosectomy. The aim of this study is to compare immediate vs. on-demand endoscopic necrosectomy in patients with infected WOPN who undergo EUS-guided transmural drainage of WOPN.