Published online Dec 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i48.9399
Revised: October 24, 2013
Accepted: November 2, 2013
Published online: December 28, 2013
Processing time: 258 Days and 10.8 Hours
AIM: To investigate whether a stapled technique is superior to the conventional hand-sewn technique for gastro/duodenojejunostomy during pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PpPD).
METHODS: In October 2010, we introduced a mechanical anastomotic technique of gastro- or duodenojejunostomy using staplers during PpPD. We compared clinical outcomes between 19 patients who underwent PpPD with a stapled gastro/duodenojejunostomy (stapled anastomosis group) and 19 patients who underwent PpPD with a conventional hand-sewn duodenojejunostomy (hand-sewn anastomosis group).
RESULTS: The time required for reconstruction was significantly shorter in the stapled anastomosis group than in the hand-sewn anastomosis group (186.0 ± 29.4 min vs 219.7 ± 50.0 min, P = 0.02). In addition, intraoperative blood loss was significantly less (391.0 ± 212.0 mL vs 647.1 ± 482.1 mL, P = 0.03) and the time to oral intake was significantly shorter (5.4 ± 1.7 d vs 11.3 ± 7.9 d, P = 0.002) in the stapled anastomosis group than in the hand-sewn anastomosis group. There were no differences in the incidences of delayed gastric emptying and other postoperative complications between the groups.
CONCLUSION: These results suggest that stapled gastro/duodenojejunostomy shortens reconstruction time during PpPD without affecting the incidence of delayed gastric emptying.
Core tip: The operative procedure of pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PpPD) includes reconstruction of the pancreatic, biliary, and digestive systems, thus requiring a significant amount of time. We compared clinical outcomes between 19 patients who underwent PpPD with a stapled gastro/duodenojejunostomy and 19 patients who underwent PpPD with a conventional hand-sewn duodenojejunostomy. We demonstrate that stapled gastro/duodenojejunostomy shortens reconstruction time during PpPD without affecting the incidence of delayed gastric emptying.