• Yasuyuki Suzuki, Yasuhiro Fujino, Yasuki Tanioka, Kunihiko Hiraoka, Moriatsu Takada, Tetsuo Ajiki, Yoshifumi Takeyama, Yonson Ku, and Yoshikazu Kuroda.
• Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medicinal Sciences, Kobe University, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan. szk@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
• Arch Surg Chicago. 2002 Sep 1; 137 (9): 1044-7; discussion 1048.

HypothesisSelection of proper pancreaticojejunostomy techniques according to pancreatic texture and the main duct size reduces the pancreatic fistula rate.Design And PatientsData from 50 consecutive patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy with 3 different anastomotic techniques prospectively used according to pancreatic texture and the main duct size were analyzed. Duct-invagination anastomosis was selected for pancreata with a small duct (n = 34 [29 with a soft texture and 5 with a hard texture]). Stitches between the stump parenchyma and the jejunal seromuscular layer were added to this anastomosis procedure only for the hard pancreata. Pancreata with a large duct were reconstructed with a conventional duct-to-mucosa anastomosis (n = 16).SettingA university hospital department of digestive surgery.ResultsThe morbidity was 40% (20 of 50 patients) in this series. Four patients (8%) with a soft pancreas and a small duct developed a pancreatic stump leak after duct-invagination anastomosis, but all of them were removed without sequelae. No pancreatic anastomotic leak was seen in this series, which resulted in no mortality, no remnant pancreatectomy, and only 1 relaparotomy in the consecutive 50 patients.ConclusionThe proper selection of pancreatic reconstruction techniques according to our criteria may reduce the pancreatic fistula rate, eliminate risky pancreatic anastomotic leaks, and result in excellent outcomes for those undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy.

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