Encoscopic management of stenotic anastomosis using a rendezvous technique after pancreatogastrostomy

A 46-year-old female patient was referred to our hospital for endoscopic treatment of stenotic pancreatogastrostomy. She had undergone pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy due to duodenal carcinoma of the papilla of Vater 5 years before referral. Two years after the operation, she had to be hospitalized several times during a 1-year period because of acute recurrent pancreatitis caused by stenosis of the anastomosis of the pancreatoduodenostomy. An endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided rendezvous technique was selected to puncture the main pancreatic duct via a transgastric approach. We identified the dilated main pancreatic duct with a convex array echoendoscope from the lower gastric body near the anastomosis and successfully punctured the dilated main pancreatic duct. The guidewire passed through the stenosis to the gastric cavity and we could place a stent through the stenotic anastomosis. After the procedure, the patient has not experienced acute recurrent pancreatitis for 9 months. Pancreatogastrostomy has been the preferred method used to carry out post-pancreatoduodenectomy reconstruction. However, stenosis of the anastomosis has been reported as one of the late complications of pancreatogastrostomy. The main symptom of this complication is recurrent epigastralgia due to obstructive pancreatitis. As a result, patients are compelled to stay in the hospital for an extended duration with no oral intake allowed. Surgical resection of the stenosis is often the treatment of choice but can be troublesome due to post-operative adhesions. Here, we report a case of pancreatogastrostomy complicated by stenosis, which was treated using the EUS-guided rendezvous technique.