[Palliative biliodigestive anastomosis in non-resectable cancer of the head of the pancreas--with or without preventive gastroenterostomy?]. / Palliative biliodigestive Anastomose bei nicht resektablem Pankreaskopfkarzinom--mit oder ohne prophylaktische Gastroenterostomie?

ABSTRACT

In 226 patients with malignant obstructive jaundice over a 10-year period (1975-1984) 92 presented with an unresectable carcinoma of the head of the pancreas and were treated with a palliative bilioenteric diversion in 52 cases alone, in 20 cases with a therapeutic gastroenterostomy because of early duodenal obstruction, and in 20 cases with a simultaneous prophylactic gastroenterostomy. The latter did not increase perioperative morbidity (25% vs. 50% in bilioenteric diversion alone), mortality (5% vs. 19%) nor length of hospital stay (19.9 vs. 20.6 days). Later on patients with a prophylactic gastroenterostomy showed a decreased incidence of chronic vomiting (15% vs. 42%). No secondary gastroenterostomy was performed in this group, vs. 14% (6 patients) in cases with bilioenteric diversion alone (mortality 33%). We recommend the simultaneous prophylactic gastroenterostomy which does not increase morbidity, mortality and length of hospital stay and helps avoiding a risky secondary gastroenterostomy.