End-to-end invaginated pancreaticojejunostomy during minimally invasive pancreatoduodenectomy: technical description and single center experience.

BACKGROUND: Remarkable progress has been made in pancreatic surgery over the last decades with the introduction of minimally invasive techniques. Minimally invasive pancreatoduodenectomy (MIPD) remains one of the most challenging operations in abdominal surgery and it is performed in a few centers worldwide. The treatment of the pancreatic stump is a crucial step of this operation; however, the best strategy to perform pancreatic anastomosis is still debated. In this article, we describe the technical details of our original technique of modified minimally invasive end-to-end invaginated pancreaticojejunostomy (EIPJ) using video footage. METHODS: In the current study, we retrospectively analyzed a pilot series of 67 consecutive cases of minimally invasive (7 robotic/60 fully laparoscopic) MIPD operated on at the General Surgery Department of the Panico Hospital, Tricase (Italy) between March 2017 and October 2022.The reconstruction phase involved an EIPJ, tailored using an intra-ductal anastomotic plastic stent. The aim of this study was to describe the technique and evaluate the short-term outcomes of patients undergoing MIPD with EIPJ. RESULTS: The mean operative time to perform the EIPJ was 21.57 ± 3.32 min. Seven patients (10.5%) developed biochemical leaks and 13 (19.4%) developed clinically relevant pancreatic fistulas (grade B or C according to the definition of the International Study Group on Pancreatic Surgery). CONCLUSION: The early results confirm that this anastomosis is safe, easy to perform, and effective in the hands of hepatobiliopancreatic (HBP) surgeons with experience in minimally invasive surgery.

Inframesocolic main pancreatic vessels-first approach for minimally invasive radical antegrade modular pancreaticosplenectomy (RAMPS): technical description and first experience.

Radical modular antegrade pancreaticosplenectomy (RAMPS) improves posterior tumor-free margins during resections of pancreatic neoplasia involving the body or tail. However, minimally invasive RAMPS is technically challenging and has been reported seldom. We present for the first time a minimally invasive RAMPS technique with an innovative approach providing early dissection and control of the main peripancreatic vessels from an inframesocolic embryonal window, suitable for laparoscopy and robotics. Minimally invasive RAMPS with inframesocolic main pancreatic vessels-first approach was performed at the Tricase Hospital (Italy) from May 2017 to April 2022 in 11 consecutive patients with neoplastic lesions of the pancreas (8 laparoscopic RAMPS and 3 robotic RAMPS). Among the laparoscopic cases, 1 included a portal vein tangential resection and 1 a celiac artery resection (modified Appleby procedure). There were no conversions, no Clavien-Dindo complications > 2, all resections' margins were tumor free, and no 90-day mortality.

Automatic optical biopsy for colorectal cancer using hyperspectral imaging and artificial neural networks.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative identification of cancerous tissue is fundamental during oncological surgical or endoscopic procedures. This relies on visual assessment supported by histopathological evaluation, implying a longer operative time. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI), a contrast-free and contactless imaging technology, provides spatially resolved spectroscopic analysis, with the potential to differentiate tissue at a cellular level. However, HSI produces "big data", which is impossible to directly interpret by clinicians. We hypothesize that advanced machine learning algorithms (convolutional neural networks-CNNs) can accurately detect colorectal cancer in HSI data. METHODS: In 34 patients undergoing colorectal resections for cancer, immediately after extraction, the specimen was opened, the tumor-bearing section was exposed and imaged using HSI. Cancer and normal mucosa were categorized from histopathology. A state-of-the-art CNN was developed to automatically detect regions of colorectal cancer in a hyperspectral image. Accuracy was validated with three levels of cross-validation (twofold, fivefold, and 15-fold). RESULTS: 32 patients had colorectal adenocarcinomas confirmed by histopathology (9 left, 11 right, 4 transverse colon, and 9 rectum). 6 patients had a local initial stage (T1-2) and 26 had a local advanced stage (T3-4). The cancer detection performance of the CNN using 15-fold cross-validation showed high sensitivity and specificity (87% and 90%, respectively) and a ROC-AUC score of 0.95 (considered outstanding). In the T1-2 group, the sensitivity and specificity were 89% and 90%, respectively, and in the T3-4 group, the sensitivity and specificity were 81% and 93%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Automatic colorectal cancer detection on fresh specimens using HSI, using a properly trained CNN is feasible and accurate, even with small datasets, regardless of the local tumor extension. In the near future, this approach may become a useful intraoperative tool during oncological endoscopic and surgical procedures, and may result in precise and non-destructive optical biopsies to support objective and consistent tumor-free resection margins.

Intraoperative bowel perfusion quantification with hyperspectral imaging: a guidance tool for precision colorectal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Poor anastomotic perfusion can cause anastomotic leaks (AL). Hyperspectral imaging (HSI), previously validated experimentally, provides accurate, real-time, contrast-free intestinal perfusion quantification. Clinical experience with HSI is limited. In this study, HSI was used to evaluate bowel perfusion intraoperatively. METHODS: Fifty-two patients undergoing elective colorectal surgeries for neoplasia (n = 40) or diverticular disease (n = 12), were enrolled. Intestinal perfusion was assessed with HSI (TIVITA®, Diaspective Vision, Am Salzhaff, Germany). This device generates a perfusion heat map reflecting the tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) amount. Prior to anastomose creation, the clinical transection line (CTL) was highlighted on the proximal bowel and imaged with HSI. Upon StO2 heat map evaluation, the hyperspectral transection line (HTL) was identified. In case of CTL/HTL discrepancy > 5 mm, the bowel was always resected at the HTL. HSI outcomes were compared to the clinical ones. RESULTS: AL occurred in one patient who underwent neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy and ultralow anterior resection for rectal cancer. HSI assessment was feasible in all patients, and StO2-values were significantly higher at proximal segments than distal ones. Twenty-six patients showed CTL/HTL discrepancy, and these patients had a lower mean StO2 (54.55 ± 21.30%) than patients without discrepancy (65.10 ± 21.30%, p = 0.000). Patients undergoing neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy showed a lower StO2 (51.41 ± 23.41%) than non-neoadjuvated patients (60.51 ± 24.98%, p = 0.010). CONCLUSION: HSI is useful in detecting intraoperatively marginally perfused segments, for which the clinical appreciation is unreliable. Intestinal vascular supply is lower in patients undergoing neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy, and this novel finding together with the clinical impact of HSI perfusion quantification deserves further investigation in larger trials.

T-tube biliary drainage during reconstruction after pancreaticoduodenectomy. A single-center experience.

AIM: The purpose of this study is to communicate our experience about the results and effectiveness in the use of the Ttube biliary drainage during pancreaticoduodenectomy. MATERIAL OF STUDY: In accordance whit Whipple we perform the gastric antrum resection during pancreaticoduodenectomy. We have treated 42 patients with pancreaticoduodenectomy, 25 males and 17 females with a mean age of 62 years (range: 53-79 years), and in each of them we have placed a biliary T-tube. RESULTS: Pancreatic fistula was the most common complication and occurred in 10 patients (23.81%), all of these were low-flow fistula (<200 ml) and required only medical treatment. DISCUSSION: Resection of the pancreas is considered a major operative procedure. Pancreatic fistula is the most common complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy, and it was also the most frequent complication observed by us. In pancreaticoduodenectomy T-tube allows lesser risks of complications due to pancreatic fistula and it makes its faster healing. In all cases the treatment was not invasive. CONCLUSIONS: T-tube biliary drainage can make a positive contribution concerning all the complications that can occur after pancreaticoduodenectomy, especially against the pancreatic fistula. KEY WORDS: Pancreaticoduodenectomy, Pancreatic fistula, Pancreas head cancer, Pancreatic Tumors, T-tube drainage.