Treating complex pancreatic injuries. Trauma and pancreatic surgeons working together is the modern management paradigm

Current use and utility of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and pancreatic duct stents: A secondary analysis from the Western Trauma Association multicenter trials group on pancreatic injuries

INTRODUCTION

The single most important predictor of pancreas-specific complications (PSCs) after pancreatic trauma is injury to the main pancreatic duct (MPD). Pancreatography has been recommended to evaluate the integrity of the MPD. In addition, pancreatic duct stents have been proposed to prevent or treat PSC. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in diagnosing MPD injury. We further sought to determine whether stents were effective in preventing PSC or facilitated the resolution of pancreatic leaks or fistulae.

METHODS

A secondary analysis of a multicenter retrospective review of pancreatic injuries in patients 15 years and older from 2010 to 2018, focusing on patients who underwent MRCP or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), was performed. Final pancreatic injury grade was determined based on all available assessments, ultimately adjudicated by the site principal investigator. Data were analyzed using various statistical tests where appropriate.

RESULTS

Thirty-three centers reported on 1,243 patients. A total of 216 underwent pancreatography-137 had MRCP and 115 ERCP, with 36 having both. The sensitivity of MRCP for MPD injury was 37%, the specificity was 94%, the positive predictive value was 77%, and the negative predictive value was 73%. When compared with ERCP, MRCP findings were discordant in 64% of cases. Pancreatic stents were placed in 77 patients; 48 (62%) were to treat PSC, with no clear benefit. Twenty-nine had prophylactic stents placed. There did not appear to be benefit in reduced PSC compared with the entire study group or among patients with high-grade pancreatic injuries.

CONCLUSION

The accuracy of MRCP to evaluate the integrity of the MPD does not appear to be superior to computed tomography scan. Consequently, the results of MRCP should be interpreted with caution. The current data do not support prophylactic use of pancreatic stents; they should be studied in a prospective trial.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III.

Pancreatic damage control: the pancreas is simple don't complicate it

Pancreatic trauma is a rare but potentially lethal injury because often it is associated with other abdominal organ or vascular injuries. Usually, it has a late clinical presentation which in turn complicates the management and overall prognosis. Due to the overall low prevalence of pancreatic injuries, there has been a significant lack of consensus among trauma surgeons worldwide on how to appropriately and efficiently diagnose and manage them. The accurate diagnosis of these injuries is difficult due to its anatomical location and the fact that signs of pancreatic damage are usually of delayed presentation. The current surgical trend has been moving towards organ preservation in order to avoid complications secondary to exocrine and endocrine function loss and/or potential implicit post-operative complications including leaks and fistulas. The aim of this paper is to propose a management algorithm of patients with pancreatic injuries via an expert consensus. Most pancreatic injuries can be managed with a combination of hemostatic maneuvers, pancreatic packing, parenchymal wound suturing and closed surgical drainage. Distal pancreatectomies with the inevitable loss of significant amounts of healthy pancreatic tissue must be avoided. General principles of damage control surgery must be applied when necessary followed by definitive surgical management when and only when appropriate physiological stabilization has been achieved. It is our experience that viable un-injured pancreatic tissue should be left alone when possible in all types of pancreatic injuries accompanied by adequate closed surgical drainage with the aim of preserving primary organ function and decreasing short and long term morbidity.