Distal pancreatectomy.

NTRODUCTION: Distal pancreatectomy is a standard surgical procedure for selected benign, premalignant, and malignant lesions localized in the pancreatic body or tail. Surgical resection remains the only curative option for patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Perioperative and postoperative clinical courses were retrospectively assessed in patients, who underwent distal pancreatectomy during the 2011‒2021 period. RESULTS: During the 2011‒2021 period, a total of 112 distal pancreatectomies were performed. 67 patients (59.8%) underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy, and 45 patients (40.2%) open laparotomy. The conversion was necessary for 13 patients (11.6%). Distal pancreatectomies performed laparoscopically were associated more often with biochemical leak and the development of grade B fistula, on the other hand grade C fistula developed only in patients operated by open laparotomy (LPT). The mean operating time was slightly longer in the laparoscopic group (227.1 min vs 214.6 min). The mean estimated blood loss was significantly higher in the LPT group (540.4 ml vs 191.9 ml). The mean hospitalization time was slightly longer in the LPT group (11.8 days vs 9.3 days). The rates of early reoperations were comparable between both groups (6 vs 5). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic techniques are preferred in centers around the world to bring patients benefits by using a minimally invasive approach. These techniques are also preferred in our center, in nearly 60% of all distal pancreatectomies performed during 10 years, but on the other hand, there is a much more careful approach chosen in cases of malignant disease to achieve adequate radicality (Tab.4, Ref. 20).

Experimental Study of Steel-Aluminum Joints Made by RSW with Insert Element and Adhesive Bonding.

This work focuses on joining steel to aluminum alloy using a novel method of joining by resistance spot welding with an insert element based on anticorrosive steel in combination with adhesive bonding. The method aims to reduce the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds by using short welding times and a different chemical composition of the insert element. In the experiment, deep-drawing low-carbon steel, HSLA zinc-coated steel and precipitation-hardened aluminum alloy 6082 T6 were used. Two types of adhesives-one based on rubber and the other based on epoxy resin-were used for adhesive bonding, while the surfaces of the materials joined were treated with a unique adhesion-improving agent based on organosilanes. The surface treatment improved the chemical bonding between the substrate and adhesive. It was proved, that the use of an insert element in combination with adhesive bonding is only relevant for those adhesives that have a load capacity just below the yield strength of the substrates. For bonded joints with higher load capacities, plastic deformation of the substrates occurs, which is unacceptable, and thus, the overall contribution of the insert element to the load capacity of the joint becomes negligible. The results also show that the combination of the resistance spot welding of the insert element and adhesive bonding facilitates the joining process of galvanized and nongalvanized steels with aluminum alloys and suppresses the effect of brittle intermetallic phases by minimizing the joining area and welding time. It is possible to use the synergistic effect of insert element welding and adhesive bonding to achieve increased energy absorption of the joint under stress.