Background: Life-threatening postoperative pancreatic fistula (LTPOPF) is the most feared complication after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). Although completion pancreatectomy (CP) is usually performed when radiological management fails, the associated morbidity and mortality rates remain high. Here, we reviewed pancreas-preserving alternatives to CP.
Methods: The PubMed database was systematically searched for publications between 1983 and 2014, describing pancreas-preserving surgical treatment of the pancreas remnant (PR) after reintervention in a context of post-PD LTPOPF.
Results: A total of 12 articles including 140 patients were reviewed. Six different types of pancreas-preserving treatment were described: external wirsungostomy, simple drainage of the PF, closure of pancreatic stump, internal wirsungostomy, partial CP, and salvage pancreatogastrostomy after major leakage of a pancreatojejunostomy. The overall median survival rate was 75 % but rose to 83 % when patients undergoing only surgical drainage of the fistula were excluded. The median complication rate was 75 %, and the median length of hospital stay was 41.5 days. Further reintervention was required for 25 % of the patients. The median incidence of late diabetes was 22.5 %. The incidence of exocrine insufficiency ranged from 0 to 100 % depending on the intervention.
Conclusion: Pancreas-preserving surgical management of the PR after LTPOPF can be performed with acceptable mortality and morbidity. These data suggest that CP should have a more precisely specified role in the management algorithm and should not be performed systematically.
Keywords: Grade C fistula; Pancreas-preserving management; Pancreatic fistula; Pancreatoduodenectomy; Reintervention.