Incidence and outcomes of pancreatic encephalopathy in patients with acute pancreatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Pancreatic encephalopathy (PE) is a lethal complication of acute pancreatitis (AP), but its clinical characteristics and prognosis remain obscure. Herein, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the incidence and outcomes of PE in AP patients. PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched. Based on the data from cohort studies, the incidence and mortality of PE in AP patients were pooled. Based on the individual data from case reports, logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for death in PE patients. Among 6702 papers initially identified, 148 were included. Based on 68 cohort studies, the pooled incidence and mortality of PE in AP patients were 11% and 43%, respectively. The causes of death were clearly reported in 282 patients, of which the most common was multiple organ failure (n = 197). Based on 80 case reports, 114 AP patients with PE were included. The causes of death were clearly reported in 19 patients, of which the most common was multiple organ failure (n = 8). Univariate analyses showed that multiple organ failure (OR = 5.946; p = 0.009) and chronic cholecystitis (OR = 5.400; p = 0.008) were the significant risk factors of death among patients with PE. PE is not a rare complication of AP and indicates poor prognosis. Such a high mortality of PE patients may be attributed to its coexistence of multiple organ failure.