Published online Jul 15, 2022. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v14.i7.1363
Peer-review started: March 20, 2022
First decision: April 17, 2022
Revised: April 30, 2022
Accepted: June 26, 2022
Article in press: June 26, 2022
Published online: July 15, 2022
Processing time: 114 Days and 18.9 Hours
Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is an extremely rare congenital malformation characterized by mirror displacement of the thoracoabdominal organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, and stomach. Herein, we describe a patient with SIT complicated with cholangiocarcinoma who underwent successful pancreaticoduodenectomy with the assistance of a da Vinci robot.
A 58-year-old female presented to the hospital with paroxysmal pain in her left upper abdomen, accompanied by jaundice and staining of the sclera as chief complaints. Imaging examination detected a mass at the distal end of the common bile duct, with inverted thoracic and abdominal organs. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography forceps biopsy revealed the presence of a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. The patient successfully underwent robotic-assisted pancreaticoduodenectomy; the operation lasted 300 min, the intraoperative blood loss was 500 mL, and there were no intraoperative and postoperative complications.
SIT is not directly related to the formation of cholangiocarcinoma. Detailed preoperative imaging examination is conducive to disease diagnosis and also convenient for determining the feasibility of tumor resection. Robot-assisted pancreaticoduodenectomy for SIT complicated with cholangiocarcinoma provides a safe, feasible, minimally invasive, and complication-free alternative with adequate preoperative planning combined with meticulous intraoperative procedures.
Core Tip: Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is an extremely rare congenital malformation characterized by a mirror image displacement of the thoracoabdominal organs such as the heart, liver, spleen and stomach. SIT combined with choledochal cancer is even rarer, and da Vinci robot-assisted pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with SIT combined with choledochal cancer has not been reported. This case demonstrates that preoperative thorough planning, intraoperative precise anatomical knowledge, effective teamwork, meticulous treatment, and postoperative care are feasible with the aid of the da Vinci robot for pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with SIT.