Surgical management of superficial non-ampullary duodenal tumors

We present our experiences with the so-called 'limited resections' such as transduodenal excision and local full-thickness resection for superficial non-ampullary duodenal tumors (SNADT). The optimal surgical management for SNADT is also discussed.

Six patients with SNADT (adenoma, n=1; mucosal carcinomas, n=2; submucosal carcinoma, n=1; carcinoids, n=2) were included in this study. Four patients underwent transduodenal excision, one local full-thickness resection, and one laparoscopy-assisted endoscopic full-thickness resection as a modification of local full-thickness resection.

All patients were successfully treated by these limited resections without any adverse events.

Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for SNADT not amenable to endoscopic resection in terms of technical and/or oncological reasons. However, the optimal surgical management for SNADT remains controversial because of the complexity of the relevant anatomy of the duodenum, its rarity, the not well-known incidence of nodal metastasis, and the wide spectrum of pathologies that can be encountered.