The laparoscopic approach to pancreatoduodenectomy is cost neutral in very high-volume centers

Little is known regarding the impact of minimally invasive approaches to pancreatoduodenectomy on the aggregate costs of care for patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy.

We queried the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database to identify patients undergoing elective laparoscopic or open pancreatoduodenectomy between 2014 and 2016.

In this database, 488 (10%) patients underwent elective laparoscopic; 4,544 (90%) underwent open pancreatoduodenectomy. On adjusted analysis, the risk of perioperative morbidity and overall duration of hospitalization for patients undergoing elective laparoscopic were identical to those for patients undergoing open pancreatoduodenectomy. Patients undergoing elective laparoscopic in low (+$10,399, 95% confidence interval [$3,700, $17,098]) and moderate to high (+$4,505, 95% confidence interval [$528, $8,481]) volume centers had greater costs than those undergoing open pancreatoduodenectomy in the same centers. In very high-volume centers (>127 pancreatoduodenectomies/year), aggregate costs of care for patients undergoing elective laparoscopic were essentially identical to those undergoing open pancreatoduodenectomy in the same centers (+$815, 95% confidence interval [-$1,530, $3,160]).

Rates of morbidity and overall duration of hospitalization for patients undergoing elective laparoscopic are not different than those undergoing open pancreatoduodenectomy. At low to moderate and high-volume centers, elective laparoscopic is associated with greater aggregate costs of care relative to open pancreatoduodenectomy. At very high-volume centers, elective laparoscopic is cost-neutral.