Clinical experience of minimally invasive duodenum preserving pancreatic head resection

Abstract

In recent years, an increasing number of pancreatic surgeons has begun to pay attention to duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR). The purpose of this article is to summarize our experience in minimally invasive DPPHR. We retrospectively collected outcome data of twenty consecutive cases of laparoscopic or robotic DPPHR performed between June 2021 and January 2022 in the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. All patients successfully completed the operation under minimally invasive procedures, and in no case conversion to laparotomy or pancreaticoduodenectomy was required. The average operation duration was 293 ​± ​41 ​min (range: 216–393 ​min); the intraoperative blood loss was 163 ​± ​70 ​ml (range: 50–300 ​ml), and no intraoperative blood transfusion was required. A total of ten patients (50%) developed postoperative complications, including one patient who suffered a Clavien-Dindo complication grade ​≥ ​III. The average postoperative length of stay was 16.6 ​± ​5.4 days (range:10–33 days). Minimally invasive DPPHR for benign or low-grade malignant tumors of the head of the pancreas is a safe and effective operation, which can improve the long-term quality of life of patients, and is worthy of clinical application.