The VARD (Videoendoscopic Assisted Retroperitoneal Drainage) approach as treatment for necrotizing pancreatitis proposes an alternative to standard complicated open abdomen treatment methods.

This treatment involves making a small incision and looking inside the abdomen with a videoendoscope. A videoendoscope is an instrument with a small camera and light on the end. It also has an extension tool that the surgeon can use to clean out any dead and infected tissue in the abdomen.

This approach may reveal a treatment opportunity with faster recovery potential and shorter hospitalizations for patients with necrotizing pancreatitis.

• Pancreatic necrosis or peripancreatic fluid collection following acute pancreatitis noted on CT scan
• Infected pancreatic necrosis or pancreatic abscess and determined by + FNA (gram stain or culture), as defined by the Atlanta Symposium
• Not neutropenic or pregnant
• No prior necrosectomy
• No pancreatic pseudocyst, either sterile or infected