Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2025
Robot Assisted Distal Pancreatectomy with Celiac Axis Resection DP-CAR for Pancreatic Cancer: Surgical Planning and Technique
Published on: August 14, 2021
Vascular supply of postresection pancreatic remnant after pancreaticoduodenectomy: A cadaveric study
Michael Rousek1,2, David Kachlík2, Pavel Záruba1
1Department of Surgery, Second Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and Military University Hospital Prague, Praha, Czech Republic.
Objectives:
The vascular supply to the neck and body of the pancreas is highly variable. The dorsal pancreatic artery is the dominant artery feeding this area. The aim of this study was to describe the vascular supply of postresection pancreatic remnants after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Patients with hazardous anatomical arrangement may be at a higher risk of postresection remnant ischemia and postoperative pancreatic fistula development.
Methods:
The modified Whipple procedure was performed on 20 cadaveric donors. The macroscopic anatomical supply of the postresection pancreatic remnant of each donor was evaluated.
Results:
The arterial supply of the postresection remnant was highly variable. In 30% of cases (6/20), the dorsal pancreatic artery was cut during the pancreatoduodenectomy or it was missing. In these cases, the area of the pancreaticojejunostomy construction was fed only through anastomoses between the transverse pancreatic artery and the pancreatic branches of the splenic artery.
Conclusions:
In 30% of cases, the arterial supply of the postresection pancreatic remnant was dependent on inconstant intraparenchymal arterial anastomoses. These patients may be at a higher risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula development.
