An Innovative Technique for Pancreatic Head Resection: The "Uncinate First" Approach

The resection in partial pancreatico-duodenectomy as the standard treatment for malignancies of the pancreatic head is commonly performed starting from the hepatoduodenal ligament after division of the bile duct, stomach, or proximal duodenum and pancreatic body. The "Uncinate First" approach is a technical modification with a retrograde dissection of the pancreatic head as a novel surgical procedure. Caudo-cranial resection of the pancreatic head is characterized by starting with the uncinate process after division and mobilization of the first jejunal loop. Transection of the upper gastrointestinal structures (bile duct, stomach or duodenum and pancreas) is performed at the end of the resection. The retrograde Uncinate First technique offers a comfortable and innovative approach for partial pancreatico-duodenectomy. The superior mesenteric artery as well as the portal and superior mesenteric vein can be very accurately dissected and controlled during the resection phase associated with potentially less blood loss and a more radical resection along the medial margin, which is often the site of R1 resections. Future studies are required to evaluate this procedure regarding operative parameters and postoperative outcome compared with the standard resection.