Indocyanine green fluorescence in the evaluation of post-resection pancreatic remnant perfusion after a pancreaticoduodenectomy: a clinical study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Pancreaticoduodenectomy is associated with an incidence of postoperative complications of approximately 41%. One of the most severe complications is a postoperative pancreatic fistula. The exact cause of postoperative fistula development is still unknown, but it appears to be multifactorial. Proper perfusion of pancreatic remnant is essential for the healing of pancreaticojejunostomy. To date, there is no method to reliably evaluate the vascular supply of the remnant. One of the methods for the assessment of organ perfusion is the indocyanine green fluorescence. This study aims to determine if indocyanine green fluorescence is a reliable method to measure the perfusion of the post-resection pancreatic remnant. The secondary outcome is to determine if intraoperative evaluation of the vascular supply of the post-resection remnant may predict the increased risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula development. METHODS: This study is designed as a prospective, observational study. All consecutive patients undergoing open or robotic pancreaticoduodenectomies at our department during the 1st May 2024-31st December 2026 period will be enrolled. The exclusion criteria are an allergy to indocyanine green and refusal by the patient. The adequacy of the vascular supply of the post-resection pancreatic remnant will be intraoperatively evaluated using a fluorescence detector. Patients will be divided into two groups: Those with high risk of pancreatic fistula development and those with low risk. The incidence of pancreatic fistulas in both groups is to be compared. Postoperative data including morbidity, mortality, hospital stay, intensive care unit stay and postoperative fistula development will be collected. DISCUSSION: If an intraoperative assessment of the perfusion of post-resection pancreatic remnant using indocyanine green is proven to be a suitable method to estimate the increased risk of the pancreatic fistula, the list of the existing known risk factors could be expanded. In the most high-risk patients the modification of the surgical procedure could be considered. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Number: NCT06198400 ClinicalTrials.Gov. Date 08.01.2024.

Vascular supply of postresection pancreatic remnant after pancreaticoduodenectomy: A cadaveric study.

OBJECTIVES: The vascular supply to the neck and body of the pancreas is highly variable. The dorsal pancreatic artery is the dominant artery feeding this area. The aim of this study was to describe the vascular supply of postresection pancreatic remnants after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Patients with hazardous anatomical arrangement may be at a higher risk of postresection remnant ischemia and postoperative pancreatic fistula development. METHODS: The modified Whipple procedure was performed on 20 cadaveric donors. The macroscopic anatomical supply of the postresection pancreatic remnant of each donor was evaluated. RESULTS: The arterial supply of the postresection remnant was highly variable. In 30% of cases (6/20), the dorsal pancreatic artery was cut during the pancreatoduodenectomy or it was missing. In these cases, the area of the pancreaticojejunostomy construction was fed only through anastomoses between the transverse pancreatic artery and the pancreatic branches of the splenic artery. CONCLUSIONS: In 30% of cases, the arterial supply of the postresection pancreatic remnant was dependent on inconstant intraparenchymal arterial anastomoses. These patients may be at a higher risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula development.

Delayed Post-Traumatic Hemobilia in a Patient With Blunt Abdominal Trauma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Hemobilia is a rare condition defined as bleeding in the biliary tract. The clinical presentation is variable. The typical manifestation consists of jaundice, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and right upper quadrant abdominal pain. This set of symptoms is known as "Quincke's triad." It is present in only 22%-35% of cases. Post-traumatic hemobilia is an extraordinarily rare condition occurring in only 6% of the patients with hemobilia. In general, it occurs in less than 0.2% of patients with liver trauma. A delay in the development of bleeding after liver trauma is frequent. Early diagnosis is essential because massive bleeding into the biliary tract is a potentially life-threatening condition. We present a case of a patient with massive hemobilia developed 12 days after blunt abdominal trauma. Computed tomography angiography showed two pseudoaneurysms in hepatic segments V and VIII with contrast medium extravasation. We successfully performed digital subtraction angiography with selective transcatheter arterial embolization of the leaking segment VIII pseudoaneurysm. Embolization of the pseudoaneurysm in segment V was technically impracticable. Our article provides a review of the published literature focussing on the prevalence, diagnostics, and treatment of post-traumatic hemobilia.

A comparison of surgical approaches in the treatment of grade C postoperative pancreatic fistula: A retrospective study.

Background: Postoperative pancreatic fistula is one of the most dreaded complications following pancreatic resections with Grade C the most severe. Several possible types of surgical intervention are available but to date, none of them have clearly shown superiority. This study aims to compare different surgical approaches. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent revision surgery for postoperative pancreatic fistula between 2008 and 2020 was performed. Three surgical approaches were compared: open drainage; a disconnection of the pancreaticojejunostomy; and salvage total pancreatectomy. The data of nine monitored parameters were collected. Selected parameters were statistically analyzed and compared. Results: A total of 54 patients were included. Eighteen patients underwent open drainage, 28 had disconnections of the pancreaticojejunostomy and eight had salvage total pancreatectomy. Statistically significant differences were observed in the time of Intensive Care Unit stay, the number of surgical interventions, 90-day mortality, the number of administered blood transfers and treatment costs. Open drainage showed to be superior in each category. The difference in long-term survival also slightly favored simple drainage. Conclusion: Open drainage procedure showed to be superior to other types of interventions in most of the monitored parameters. Disconnection of the pancreaticojejunostomy and a salvage total pancreatectomy had similar results, which correlated with the surgical burden of these interventions.

The dorsal pancreatic artery: A meta-analysis with clinical correlations.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The dorsal pancreatic artery is the main artery of the body and tail of the pancreas. Its origin and branching is highly variable. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis to generate pooled prevalence data on the presence and origin of the dorsal pancreatic artery. Clinically important aspects of the dorsal pancreatic artery were summarised during the literature review. METHODS: Major medical databases were searched. Data on the presence and point of origin of the dorsal pancreatic artery were extracted and quantitatively synthesised. The obtained data of anatomical based studies and computed tomography based studies were statistically analysed. RESULTS: In total, 30 studies, comprising 2322 anatomical and computed tomography based cases were included. The dorsal pancreatic artery was present in 95.8% of cases. It originated from the splenic artery in 37.6% of cases, common hepatic artery in 18.3% of cases, coeliac trunk in 11.9% of cases and the superior mesenteric artery in 23.9% of cases. Other rare origins were present in 2.77% of cases. Multiple dorsal pancreatic arteries were found in 1,7% of cases. There was no significant difference in the presence or origin of the dorsal pancreatic artery between anatomical and computed tomography based studies. CONCLUSION: The dorsal pancreatic artery is present in the vast majority of cases. Its origin and branching are highly variable. Multiplicity of the dorsal pancreatic artery is infrequent.

Gastric duplication cyst communicating to accessory pancreatic lobe: A case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: The combination of a gastric duplication cyst and duplicated part of the pancreas is an extremely rare developmental defect. The incidence in the population, or the clinical impact thereof, has not been uncovered. Symptoms are unspecific. Surgery is the treatment of choice. Timely diagnostics are of utmost importance, albeit they might be challenging at times. Being so rare, case reports are currently the only relevant source of information about the condition. Therefore each published finding is of a clinical impact. CASE SUMMARY: Our work describes the case of a 22 year-old patient, who developed idiopathic acute pancreatitis. A computed tomography scan discovered liquid collection between the antrum of the stomach and the head of the pancreas. Initially, the collection was thought to be a pancreatic pseudocyst. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided transgastric drainage showed to have only a temporary therapeutic effect. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed an accessory pancreatic lobe with a separate duct system. The accessory pancreatic lobe exited the body of the pancreas and was in contact with the cystic collection. The patient was indicated for surgical resection. Within the surgery, an en bloc resection of the accessory pancreatic lobe was performed with the antrum of the stomach containing the gastric duplication cyst. No complications were observed in the surgery or thereafter. In the five months follow-up period, the patient was completely symptom free. Histopathological findings confirmed the gastric duplication cyst communicating to accessory pancreatic lobe. CONCLUSION: This developmental defect is extremely rare. It can cause recurrent acute pancreatitis. Diagnostics are challenging. Surgery is treatment of choice.