Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 23, 2025
Robotic-assisted Lateral Pancreaticojejunostomy for Chronic Pancreatitis
Published on: September 5, 2025
A retrospective analysis of pancreas operations in children
R Ellen Jones1, Jessica A Zagory1,2, Micah Tatum1
1The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Insights
Pediatric pancreas surgery is rare but safe and effective for conditions like pancreatic mass, trauma, and chronic pancreatitis. Operations show clear indications with a low complication rate in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Gastrointestinal Surgery
- Surgical Outcomes
Background:
- Operative intervention for pediatric pancreas diseases is infrequent.
- Understanding indications and outcomes for pediatric pancreas surgery is crucial.
- Hypothesis: Pancreas operations are safe and effective in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate indications and outcomes of pancreas surgery in pediatric patients.
- To determine the safety and efficacy of operative interventions for pediatric pancreas diseases.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of pediatric patients (<18 years) undergoing pancreas operations.
- Data collected from January 2005 to December 2018 at Children's Medical Center, Dallas.
- Procedures included pancreatectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy; demographics, indications, and outcomes were analyzed.
Main Results:
- 47 pancreas operations performed on 46 children.
- Most common indications: pancreatic mass (60%), traumatic injury (21%), chronic pancreatitis (17%).
- Low overall complication rate (0.55/procedure), including 4 pancreatic leaks; no mortalities.
Conclusions:
- Pancreas operations in children, though rare, have clear indications.
- These procedures demonstrate a low complication rate in the pediatric population.
- This series underscores the significant role of pancreas resection in pediatric care.
Background:
Operative intervention for pediatric pancreas diseases is rare. Our goal is to gain a better understanding of the indications and outcomes relating to pancreas surgery in children. We hypothesized that these operations are safe and effective in this population.
Methods:
With IRB approval, we performed a retrospective review of data of pediatric patients (<18 years) who underwent pancreas operations at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, Texas from January 2005 to December 2018. These procedures included distal, central and total pancreatectomy, pancreaticoduodenectomy, and lateral pancreatojejunostomy. Demographics, surgical indication, and operative and postoperative outcomes were examined.
Results:
Forty-six children underwent 47 pancreas operations. Pancreatic mass was the most common indication for resection (n=28, 60%), followed by traumatic injury (n=10, 21%) and chronic pancreatitis (n=8, 17%). The overall complication rate was 0.55 (range, 0-3) complications per procedure, including 4 pancreatic leaks. The overall unexpected hospital visit rate (emergency department and readmissions) was 0.76 (range, 0-6) visits per patient. There were no mortalities.
Conclusions:
While pancreas operations are rare procedures in children, our data demonstrate clear indications in this population with an associated low complication rate. This retrospective series highlights the role of pancreas resection in children.
