Application and advantage analysis of triangular gastric suspension technique in laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy

Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy is a safe and effective surgical method for treating benign and malignant tumors of the pancreatic body and tail. However, laparoscopic surgery requires good intraoperative exposure, and since the pancreas is obstructed by the stomach and duodenum, making surgical operations and the management of intraoperative emergencies challenging. Therefore, gastric traction is crucial in laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy. Common gastric suspension techniques include single and double gastric suspension. Here, we propose a new, simple, and effective gastric suspension method called the triangular gastric suspension.

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 62 patients who underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy at the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery Department, The Affiliated LiHuiLi Hospital of Ningbo University from February 2017 to March 2024. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether triangular gastric suspension with silk sutures was used during surgery: the suspension group (28 cases) and the control group (34 cases). We analyzed various perioperative indicators between the two groups both before and after propensity score matching (PSM).

With or without PSM, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, gender, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, surgical approach, tumor pathological type and tumor length. Meanwhile, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of pancreatic stump anastomosis, intraoperative transfusion, intraoperative R0 rate, postoperative pancreatic fistula grade, postoperative severe hemorrhage, reoperation, and delayed gastric emptying rate. However, the differences in operative time, intraoperative blood loss, and total hospital stay were statistically significant, with the suspension group showing better outcomes.

The triangular gastric suspension method provides significant advantages in reducing intraoperative blood loss and shortening operative time during laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy. It is a new, simple, and effective suspension method.