Ravikumar S. Letter to the Editor: Frey procedure outcomes in chronic pancreatitis: A commentary. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(5): 117411 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i5.117411]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Sithdharthan Ravikumar, Department of General Surgery, George Eliot Hospital National Health Service Trust, College Street, Nuneaton CV10 7DJ, Warwickshire, United Kingdom. sithdharthan94@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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letter
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Ravikumar S. Letter to the Editor: Frey procedure outcomes in chronic pancreatitis: A commentary. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(5): 117411 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i5.117411]
World J Gastrointest Surg. May 27, 2026; 18(5): 117411 Published online May 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i5.117411
Letter to the Editor: Frey procedure outcomes in chronic pancreatitis: A commentary
Sithdharthan Ravikumar
Sithdharthan Ravikumar, Department of General Surgery, George Eliot Hospital National Health Service Trust, Nuneaton CV10 7DJ, Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Ravikumar S conceived the letter, reviewed the literature, drafted the manuscript, and approved the final version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Sithdharthan Ravikumar, Department of General Surgery, George Eliot Hospital National Health Service Trust, College Street, Nuneaton CV10 7DJ, Warwickshire, United Kingdom. sithdharthan94@gmail.com
Received: December 8, 2025 Revised: December 31, 2025 Accepted: January 12, 2026 Published online: May 27, 2026 Processing time: 172 Days and 10.4 Hours
Abstract
The Frey procedure (pancreatic head coring with longitudinal duct drainage) provides sustained pain control for selected patients with chronic pancreatitis. The single-center cohort by Eppa et al., published in the recent issue of the Euroasian J Hepatogastroenterol discussed in this letter, long-term follow up showed marked and durable reductions in validated pain scores and improvements in health-related quality of life measures. However, exocrine and endocrine insufficiency continued to progress despite surgery, underscoring that symptom control does not necessarily modify disease evolution. These findings support timely referral for surgical evaluation in patients with refractory symptoms and reinforce the need for structured long-term metabolic and nutritional follow-up after surgery.
Core Tip: The Frey procedure provides durable pain relief in chronic pancreatitis by combining pancreatic head resection with ductal drainage. A recently published study reports significant improvements in pain and quality of life, while noting ongoing progression of exocrine and endocrine insufficiency. This letter highlights the clinical relevance of these findings and emphasizes the importance of long-term metabolic and nutritional follow-up.
