LigaSure™ vs. conventional dissection techniques in pancreatic surgery--a prospective randomised single-centre trial

Area of Science:

• Surgical Oncology
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Surgical Technology

Background:

• Pancreatic surgery remains a complex procedure often requiring extensive manual dissection.
• Advancements in surgical technology aim to improve efficiency and outcomes in pancreatic cancer surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of LigaSure device versus conventional dissection techniques in pancreatic head tumor resections.
• To evaluate the impact of LigaSure on operation time, blood loss, and postoperative outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A prospective randomized single-center trial was conducted involving patients with resectable pancreatic head tumors.
• Patients were randomized to undergo surgery using either the LigaSure device or conventional dissection methods.
• Primary endpoint was overall operation time; secondary endpoints included preparation time, blood loss, transfusion requirements, costs, morbidity, hospital stay, and mortality.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference was observed in overall operation time between the LigaSure and conventional dissection groups (P=0.227).
• Median surgical costs were significantly lower in the conventional dissection group (€3,047) compared to the LigaSure group (€3,527) (P=0.009).
• No significant differences were found in preparation time, intraoperative blood loss, packed red blood cell units, postoperative morbidity, length of hospital stay, or mortality.

Conclusions:

• The LigaSure device is equivalent to conventional dissection techniques in terms of surgical outcomes for pancreatic surgery.
• Conventional dissection methods present a more cost-effective approach for pancreatic surgery compared to using the LigaSure device.