Wu S, Zheng Y, Mou JW, Zhang YJ, Zhu KX. Mechanism and treatment of pancreatic duct stones. World J Gastrointest Surg 2025; 17(8): 108312 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i8.108312]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ke-Xiang Zhu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Chief Physician, Department of General Surgery, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, No. 1 Donggang West Road, Chengguan District, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China. flexzhu6910@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Surg. Aug 27, 2025; 17(8): 108312 Published online Aug 27, 2025. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i8.108312
Mechanism and treatment of pancreatic duct stones
Sheng Wu, Ye Zheng, Jiang-Wei Mou, Yan-Jun Zhang, Ke-Xiang Zhu
Sheng Wu, Ye Zheng, Jiang-Wei Mou, Yan-Jun Zhang, Ke-Xiang Zhu, The First Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Ke-Xiang Zhu, Department of General Surgery, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Author contributions: Wu S wrote the main manuscript text; Zheng Y, Mou JW, and Zhang YJ revised the format, structure and important thesis of the paper; Zhu KX gave guidance and reviewed the content of the final draft; and all authors reviewed the manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of Gansu province, No. 22JR11RA023.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ke-Xiang Zhu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Chief Physician, Department of General Surgery, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, No. 1 Donggang West Road, Chengguan District, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China. flexzhu6910@163.com
Received: April 23, 2025 Revised: May 29, 2025 Accepted: July 11, 2025 Published online: August 27, 2025 Processing time: 125 Days and 0.8 Hours
Abstract
Pancreatic duct stones (PDS) pose substantial therapeutic challenges owing to their tendency to induce recurrent pain and discomfort via mechanical irritation and ductal obstruction, resulting in a marked decline in patients’ quality of life. The pathogenesis of pancreatic duct calculi remains incompletely understood due to its multifactorial and intricate nature. Advances in minimally invasive endoscopic interventions have broadened the available treatment modalities for PDS. This review summarizes current perspectives on the mechanisms driving stone formation alongside evolving therapeutic strategies.
Core Tip: Pancreatic duct stones represent a complication associated with chronic pancreatitis. This review highlights recent progress in understanding the pathophysiology and management of pancreatic duct stones. The emerging evidence contributes to a more nuanced understanding of their formation and informs contemporary clinical treatment strategies. The findings offer valuable relevance to the field of gastroenterology, especially in the context of chronic pancreatitis.
