Is Central Pancreatectomy Truly Recommendable? A 9-Year Single-Center Experience

To compare the short- and long-term outcomes in patients with pancreatic benign or borderline neoplasm who underwent central pancreatectomy (CP) and distal pancreatectomy (DP).

The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) single benign or low-grade malignant tumor; (2) tumor confined to the pancreatic neck or proximal body; and (3) tumor amenable to either CP or DP. Short and long-term outcomes, including complications, pancreatic exocrine and endocrine function, and quality of life (QoL) were analyzed retrospectively.

Sixteen patients who underwent CP and 26 patients who underwent DP were included. The median follow-up period was 53 months (range 21-117 months). Patients undergoing CP were significantly more likely to experience complications (68.7 vs. 23%, p = 0.003) especially grade B/C postoperative pancreatic fistula (62.5 vs. 23%, p = 0.011) than those undergoing DP. During the long-term follow-up, 2 patients in the DP group developed new-onset diabetes mellitus, but no patient in CP group developed this condition (8 vs. 0%, p = 0.382). Evidence of exocrine insufficiency, including severe diarrhea or steatorrhea, was not observed in either group. Both groups were equally satisfied with the overall health status and overall QoL.

CP is associated with excellent pancreatic function but a significantly increased postoperative morbidity and risk compared to DP. Therefore, the indication of CP should be chosen strictly.