Introduction:

Pancreaticopleural fistula is a rare complication of chronic pancreatitis.

Objective:

To describe pancreaticopleural fistula due to chronic pancreatitis and perform an extensive review of literature on this topic.

Methods:

Comprehensive narrative review through online research on the databases Medline and Lilacs for articles published over the last 20 years. There were 22 case reports and four case series selected.

Results:

The main indication for surgical treatment is the failure of clinical and/or endoscopic treatments. Surgery is based on internal pancreatic drainage, especially by means of pancreaticojejunostomy, and/or pancreatic resections.

Conclusion:

Pancreaticopleural fistula is a rare complication of chronic pancreatitis and the Frey procedure may be an appropriate therapeutic option in selected cases when clinical and endoscopic treatments are unsuccessful.