Prolonged peri-firing compression with a linear stapler prevents pancreatic fistula in laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy
Masafumi Nakamura1, Junji Ueda, Hiroshi Kohno
1Department of Surgery and Oncology, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. mnaka@surg1.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Background:
Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (Lap-DP) is one of the most accepted laparoscopic procedures in the field of pancreatic surgery. However, pancreatic fistula remains a major and frequent complication in Lap-DP, as in open surgery. The aim of this retrospective study is to clarify the advantages of prolonged peri-firing compression (PFC) with a linear stapler for prevention of pancreatic fistula after laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy.
Patients And Methods:
Incidence of pancreatic fistula in clinical levels (equivalent to grades B and C defined by the International Study Group of Pancreatic Fistula (ISGPF)) was retrospectively compared between patients who underwent Lap-DP with PFC (PFC group, n = 17) and those who underwent Lap-DP without PFC (no-PFC group, n = 25).
Results:
Incidence of clinical pancreatic fistula was significantly lower in the PFC group than in the no-PFC group. Consistent with the results for pancreatic fistula, peritoneal drainage period and postoperative hospital stay were shorter in the PFC group than in the no-PFC group.
Conclusions:
Our data show that PFC effectively prevents pancreatic fistula and shortens postoperative hospital stay after Lap-DP.
