[Liver arterial ischemia after cephalic pancreatico-duodenectomy. A case report]

Cephalic pancreaticoduodenectomy is the best treatment for cephalic pancreas cancers. A rare complication is the liver ischemia after the divison of gastroduodenal artery. This complication can occur when a celiac trunk stenosed by the median arcuate ligamentous is not recognised. We report the case of a 40 old woman who underwent cephalic pancreaticoduodenectomy for an adenocarcinoma of pancreas head. There was no complication immediatly. Two weeks later, she presented two episodes of angiocholitis. An abdominal tomodensitometry showed a liver arterial ischemia associated with a celiac trunk stenosis. There was a left hepatic artery wich came from the left gastric artery. Medical treatment of the angiocholitis was successful. Surgical revascularization was not necessary. Nine months after, arterial revascularization by the left hepatic artery and biological hepatic tests were restored. This case report talks about the importance of angioscanner before pancreatic surgery when celiac and mesenteric angiography is not available. Also, it underlines the importance of the gastroduodenal artery occlusion test before his ligation during pancreaticoduodenectomy.