Clinical application of "Double R" anastomosis technique in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy procedure

A new method of pancreaticojejunostomy in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy: A retrospective analysis of 93 cases

INTRODUCTION

Pancreaticojejunostomy have been studied and modified for more than a hundred years. We investigated a new method of pancreaticojejunostomy to explore its value in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 93 patients who underwent laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy with 'Shunt-block combined' pancreaticojejunostomy at Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital from April 2017 to February 2023.

RESULTS

All patients successfully completed the surgery, with two cases requiring conversion to open surgery. The average operation time was 328.5 (180-532) min, the average intraoperative blood loss was 182.9 (50-1000) mL and the average laparoscopic pancreaticojejunostomy time was 29.6 (20-39) min. There were no cases of grade C pancreatic fistula postoperatively, 10 cases of grade B pancreatic fistula, 43 cases of biochemical fistula and 40 cases without detected pancreatic fistula.

CONCLUSION

'Shunt-block combined' pancreaticojejunostomy was a safe and effective method for pancreaticojejunostomy in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy.

A modified single-needle continuous suture of duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy in pancreaticoduodenectomy

Background

The pancreatic reconstruction technique decides the incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistulas (POPF) in pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). This study aims to evaluate the safety of modified single-needle continuous suture (SNCS) of duct-to-mucosa and compare the efficacy with double-layer continuous suture (DLCS) of duct-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) in open PD (OPD).

Methods

A total of 266 patients that received PD between January 2019 and May 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 130 patients underwent DLCS, and 136 patients underwent SNCS [73 OPD and 63 laparoscopic PD (LPD)]. The primary outcome was clinically relevant POPF (CR-POPF) according to the definition of the revised 2016 International Study Group of Pancreatic Fistula (ISGPF). Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to reduce confounding bias.

Results

A total of 66 pairs were successfully matched using PSM in OPD. No significant difference was observed in the occurrence of CR-POPF between the two groups (9.1% vs. 21.2%, P=0.052). However, the median duration of operation and PJ was shorter in the SNCS group. The incidence of CR-POPF in LPD was 9.5%. Furthermore, regarding the alternative fistula risk score (a-FRS), the CR-POPF rate were 2.1%, 10.5%, and 15.6% in low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups (P=0.067).

Conclusions

The SNCS is a facile, safe, and effective PJ technique and does not increase the incidence of POPF, regardless of a-FRS stratification, pancreatic texture, and main pancreatic duct (MPD) size.

[Anastomotic techniques in minimally invasive hepatobiliopancreatic surgery]

The established anastomotic techniques conventionally used in open surgery are increasingly being implemented in a minimally invasive approach and further developed. The aim of all innovations is to carry out a safe anastomosis with a feasible minimally invasive technique; however, there is currently no broad consensus about the role of laparoscopic and robotic surgery in performing pancreatic anastomotic techniques. Pancreatic fistulas determine the morbidity following a minimally invasive resection. The simultaneous minimally invasive resection and reconstruction of pancreatic processes and vascular structures is currently exclusively performed in specialized centers.

Application of a sectional U-shaped reinforcement combined with penetrating pancreaticojejunostomy (U-PPJ) for soft pancreas in laparoscopic pancreatic surgery

Laparoscopic techniques have been widely used in pancreatic surgery, such as laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) and laparoscopic central pancreatectomy (LCP). Laparoscopic pancreaticojejunostomy (LPJ) is a common procedure for LPD and LCP, and is also the most critical. The quality of LPJ is associated with the occurrence of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF). Although LPJ technology has been greatly improved, CR-POPF cannot be completely avoided especially to soft pancreas, which is an important reason for the high risk of laparoscopic pancreatic surgery. To date, there is a lack of standard LPJ approaches. Here, we report a U-shaped suture reinforcement for soft pancreatic section combined with penetrating pancreaticojejunostomy (PPJ) technique, called U-PPJ. Twenty-three patients with soft pancreas who underwent laparoscopic pancreatic surgery adopting U-PPJ method between 2017 and 2022 were enrolled (LPD = 19, LCP = 4). Preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative indexes were collected and analyzed. The results showed that all patients treated with U-PPJ were discharged without drainage tube or a small amount of exudate in the drainage tube does not require clinical treatment, but only needs to be removed after 2 days of observation. The average operation time was 417.35 min. The intraoperative blood loss was 171.74 ml. The pancreatic duct diameter was 3.41 mm. The average postoperative hospitalization days were 11.83 days. The average postoperative drainage tube removal time was 13.26 days. The incidence of postoperative B-grade pancreatic fistula was 4.3%, and no C-grade pancreatic fistula occurred. In our experience, U-PPJ can be completed by a skilled surgeon in less than 20 min. U-PPJ is safe, reliable, convenient and has a low incidence of CR-POPF in soft pancreas, which is worthy of clinical application. It also provides more options for laparoscopic pancreatic surgery. Since this is a retrospective study with a small number of cases, more prospective multicenter studies are needed to further verify its safety and efficacy.

Novel end-to-side one-layer continuous pancreaticojejunostomy vs. end-to-end invaginated pancreaticojejunostomy in pancreatoduodenectomy: A single-center retrospective study

Background and Objective

Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the most common critical complication after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) and is the primary reason for increased mortality and morbidity after PD. We aim to investigate the clinical significance of a novel approach, i.e., end-to-side one-layer continuous pancreaticojejunostomy, for patients with PD.

Methods

The clinical data of 65 patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy at the Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, from September 2020 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Forty patients underwent end-to-end invaginated pancreaticojejunostomy, and 25 underwent the novel end-to-side one-layer continuous pancreaticojejunostomy. No significant differences were observed in pancreatic fistula, intraperitoneal infection, intraperitoneal bleeding, reoperation, postoperative hospital stay, or perioperative death between the two groups. However, the novel end-to-side one-layer continuous pancreaticojejunostomy group had significantly shorter operation duration (32.6 ± 5.1 min vs. 8.3 ± 2.2 min, p < 0.001). The incidence of pancreatic fistula in the novel pancreaticojejunostomy group was 12%, including two cases of grade A POPF and only one case of grade B POPF. No cases of grade C POPF occurred. No deaths were observed during the perioperative period.

Conclusions

The novel anastomosis method leads to a shorter operation duration than the traditional anastomosis method and does not increase postoperative complications. In conclusion, it is a simplified and feasible method for pancreatic anastomosis.

Pancreaticojejunostomy Conducive to Biological Healing in Minimally Invasive Pancreaticoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND

Pancreaticojejunostomy, an independent risk factor for pancreatic fistula, is the cause of several postoperative complications of pancreaticoduodenectomy. As suturing in minimally invasive surgery is difficult to perform, more simplified methods are needed to guarantee a safe pancreatic anastomosis. The concept of "biological healing" proposed in recent years has changed the conventional understanding of the anastomosis, which recommends rich blood supply, low tension, and loose sutures in the reconstruction of the pancreatic outflow tract.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted in PubMed for articles on pancreaticojejunostomy published between January 2014 and December 2021. After following a due selection process, several techniques developed in accordance with the concept of biological healing that were found suitable for minimally invasive surgery and their related clinical outcomes were described in this review.

RESULTS

The incidence of clinically relevant pancreatic fistula associated with the presented techniques did not exceed 15.9%, indicating superior results compared to Cattell-Warren double-layer duct-to-mucosa anastomosis (incidence: approximately 20%). The features and drawbacks of these approaches have been enumerated from the viewpoint of biological healing.

CONCLUSIONS

This review described several modified pancreaticojejunostomy techniques with the advantages of a simplified procedure and a lower incidence of pancreatic fistula. Surgeons can choose to apply them in clinical practice to improve patient prognosis.