Surgical revision of hepaticojejunostomy strictures after pancreatectomy

After pancreatic surgery hepaticojejunostomy (HJ) stricture is a rare condition. Usually, management is conservative, while operative revision ("redo") is only rarely performed.

This was an observational cohort design that analyzed the outcome of patients who had a surgical revision of HJ strictures after pancreatic surgery at a specialized pancreatic center.

During a period of 7 years from January 2004 until December 2010, 887 patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) or HJ. Among this patient population, 3 % (23/887) underwent a redo of the HJ secondary to stricture formation. Major symptoms of HJ strictures were recurrent cholangitis in 91 % (21/23) and jaundice in 39 % (9/23). The median time from the index operation until redo of the HJ was 16 ± 27 months. The median survival of patients with malignancy after redo of the HJ was 45 ± 67 months. Major surgical morbidity was 9 % (2/23), and mortality was 0 % (0/23). In 78 % (18/23), there were no further episodes of cholangitis after a median follow of 49 ± 73 months, while none of the patients with redo of the HJ developed a restenosis of the HJ.

Surgical revision (redo) of HJ strictures can be safely performed by an experienced pancreatic surgeon with a low morbidity without mortality with good long-term results.