Fat Tissue Infiltration into the Pancreas Parenchyme and Its Effect on the Result of Surgery

In Korea, there are few reports regarding the infiltration of fat tissue in pancreatic parenchyma in surgically resected organs. It is necessary to ascertain the correlation between the presence of fat tissue in the resection margin of the pancreas and the surgery outcome.

Fifty four patients who underwent pancreatic resection from Jan. 2007 to Nov. 2008 were enrolled in this study. Pathologic examination was performed to determine the presence of fat tissue in resected pancreatic parenchyma. Statistical correlation between the presence of fat tissue with clinical parameters and postoperative complication rates was analyzed.

Among the specimens of all fifty four patients, fat tissue was found in 32 specimens of patients (59.3%). Female gender and patients whose body mass index exceeded 24 kg/m(2) were statistically correlated with the presence of the fat tissue in pancreatic parenchyma. There was no statistical relationship between infiltration of fat tissue with postoperative complications.

This study may serve as the base data for study in radiological imaging in detecting pancreatic tissue. A further larger scaled study is needed to validate the result of this study.