The authors emphasize that late results following surgery for pancreatic cancer can be improved by increasing the rate of R0 resections. Therefore, they propose a new method for pancreatic head resection, which starts with the dissection of the uncinate process and continues in a caudo-cranial direction (retrograde). Thus the superior mesenteric artery comes into view at the beginning, and the peripancreatic tissues can be removed completely along the vessel consequently. This method can potentially decrease the risk of the bleeding and major vessel injury. The authors carried out six pancreatic head resections with the technique mentioned above, and histology revealed R0 resection in all six cases. Non-traditional, retrograde dissection of the pancreatic head is a recommended method which is supported by literature data as well as the authors' own experience.
Keywords: R0 resectio; R0 resection; caudo-cranial dissection; pancreascarcinoma; pancreatic cancer; pancreatoduodenectomia; pancreatoduodenectomy; processus uncinatus; retrograd dissectio; uncinate process.