Novel biodegradable internal stent as a mitigation strategy in high-risk pancreaticojejunostomy: technical notes and preliminary results

Abstract

Clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) is the most feared complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), as it can lead to extremely poor outcomes. We herein report the preliminary results of an anastomotic technique based on the use of a novel internal biodegradable stent (IBS) to mitigate POPF sequelae. Between October 2020 and May 2021, all patients undergoing PD with high-risk pancreatic anastomosis received a pancreato-jejunal (PJ) anastomosis with an Archimedes^™ IBS placement. Fifteen patients comprised our study cohort. In 11 cases, a 2-mm Archimedes^™ stent was used, and in the remaining four patients, a 2.6-mm stent was used. Overall postoperative complications occurred in eight patients, with four cases being severe. Two patients developed CR-POPF, with one of them dying. In our small preliminary series, PJ anastomosis with an Archimedes™ IBS showed encouraging results in terms of CR-POPF incidence. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Keywords: Internal stent; Mitigation strategy; Postoperative pancreatic fistula.