Use of Streptokinase for Enhancement of Percutaneous Drainage of Pancreatic Necrosis

Around 20 per cent of patients with acute pancreatitis develop pancreatic or peripancreatic necrosis with or without peripancreatic collections. Sterile necrosis can generally be managed conservatively and the mortality rate is relatively low (12 per cent). Approximately 30 (range 14-62) per cent of patients with necrotizing pancreatitis, however, develop secondary infections of peripancreatic fluid collection which is associated with sepsis and organ failure and is an indication for intervention1.

Until recently, the first-choice intervention in patients with infected necrotizing pancreatitis or sterile necrosis with clinical deterioration (multiple organ failure) has been open surgical necrosectomy. This approach is associated with considerable morbidity (34-95 per cent) and mortality (11-39 per cent). In 1998, Freeny and colleagues10 first described a consecutive series of patients with infected pancreatic necrosis who were treated primarily with imaging-guided percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD), as an alternative to primary surgical necrosectomy. The rationale for PCD was to drain the infected fluid under tension and gain time to improve organ function of these critically ill patients and thereby delay or avoid surgical necrosectomy. In their retrospective cohort study, PCD was successful in postponing surgical intervention for a median of 4 weeks and even obviated the need for surgical necrosectomy in almost half of the patients. In addition, PCD seems technically feasible in the vast majority of patients with necrotizing pancreatitis.

In clinical experience, investigators have found that PCD successfully drains the liquefied component of pancreatic necrosis while the solid component still remains undrained. This infected solid component of pancreatic necrosis is probably responsible for failure of PCD which demands surgical debridement.

Streptokinase is a protein secreted by several species of streptococci which can bind and activate human plasminogen. It is primarily used in clinical practice intravenously as an effective thrombolytic agent in cases of myocardial infarction and pulmonary thromboembolism.

The earliest reports on intracavitatory use of Streptokinase and other fibrinolytics were for empyemas. Later because of beneficial results, their intracavitatory use was extended to other conditions like liver, retroperitoneal and peritoneal abscesses.

In a phase II study, intracavitatory urokinase has shown to facilitate percutaneous drainage significantly reduce hospital stay and costs of percutaneous drainage of intra abdominal, retroperitoneal abscesses.

In the present study investigators plan to instill streptokinase locally in to the collections of patients with severe acute pancreatitis via pigtail catheter inorder to liquefy the solid necrotic component and analyze whether it hastens the drainage and thereby delays or obviates the need for necrosectomy.