A life-saving but inadequately discussed procedure: tube duodenostomy. Known and unknown aspects

The most successful method of managing the difficult duodenum, including the stump leakage, has been the tube duodenostomy technique, but it has not gained wide acceptance and is rarely used. The purpose of this study is to describe the details of the procedure for indication, technical approach, and postoperative care.

During the period from 1998 to 2006, a tube duodenostomy was performed in 31 patients for possible insecure duodenal stump closure during gastric resection, postoperative duodenal stump leakage, duodenal leak after primary closure of duodenum for perforation or injury, or anostomotic leak after choledochoduodenostomy. All of the tube duodenostomies were performed through the open end of the duodenum. We also inserted a T-tube into the common bile duct in 19 of 31 patients (61.2 %) with tube duodenostomy.

A tube duodenostomy was performed in the primary operation in 15 of 31 patients. None of those 15 patients required a second operation, and there were no leaks and no deaths. Among the larger group (31 patients), there was one (3.2 %) duodenal stump leak after tube duodenostomy, and it ceased spontaneously; one patient had a subhepatic collection after removal of the duodenostomy tube, and three patients had associated incisional infections. Two patients died; one after a myocardial infarction and the other from irreversible sepsis. The mean length of hospital stay was 26.9 days.

We conclude that tube duodenostomy is a simple, effective, and safe method to prevent rupture of an insecure duodenal stump or to treat the leakage from the duodenal stump or primary repair on the duodenum.