Frey's procedure is a

surgical Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

technique used in the treatment of chronic

pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. There are two main types: acute pancreatitis, and chronic p ...

in which the diseased portions of the

pancreas The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, i.e. it has both an ...

head are cored out. A lateral pancreaticojejunostomy (LRLPJ) is then performed in which a loop of the jejunum is then mobilized and attached over the exposed

pancreatic duct The pancreatic duct, or duct of Wirsung (also, the major pancreatic duct due to the existence of an accessory pancreatic duct), is a duct joining the pancreas to the common bile duct. This supplies it with pancreatic juice from the exocrine pancr ...

to allow better drainage of the pancreas, including its head.

Indication

Frey's operation is

indicated In medicine, an indication is a valid reason to use a certain test, medication, procedure, or surgery. There can be multiple indications to use a procedure or medication. An indication can commonly be confused with the term diagnosis. A diagnosi ...

on patients with chronic pancreatitis who have "head dominant" disease.

Comparison to Puestow procedure

Compared with a Puestow procedure, a Frey's procedure allows for better drainage of the pancreatic head.

Complications

Postoperative complications after LRLPJ are usually septic in nature and are likely to occur more often in patients in whom endoscopic pancreatic

stent In medicine, a stent is a metal or plastic tube inserted into the lumen of an anatomic vessel or duct to keep the passageway open, and stenting is the placement of a stent. A wide variety of stents are used for different purposes, from expandab ...

ing has been performed before surgical intervention. Pancreatic endocrine insufficiency occurs in 60% of patients.

Eponym

It is named for the American surgeon Charles Frederick Frey (b.1929) of Michigan, who first described it in 1987. Dr Frey died on February 7, 2022

References

External links