Alessandra Pulvirenti

Multicenter, Prospective Trial of Selective Drain Management for Pancreatoduodenectomy Using Risk Stratification.

Objective: This multicenter study sought to prospectively evaluate a drain management protocol for pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). Background: Recent evidence suggests value for both selective drain placement and early drain removal for PD. Both strategies have been associated with reduced rates of clinically relevant pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF)—the most common and morbid complication after PD. Methods: The protocol was applied to 260 consecutive PDs performed at two institutions over 17 months. Risk for ISGPF CR-POPF was determined intraoperatively using the Fistula Risk Score (FRS); drains were omitted in negligible/low risk patients and drain fluid amylase (DFA) was measured on postoperative day 1 (POD 1) for moderate/high risk patients. Drains were removed early (POD 3) in patients with POD 1 DFA ⩽5,000 U/L, whereas patients with POD 1 DFA >5,000 U/L were managed by clinical discretion. Outcomes were compared with a historical cohort (N = 557; 2011–2014). Results: Fistula risk did not differ between cohorts (median FRS: 4 vs 4; P = 0.933). No CR-POPFs developed in the 70 (26.9%) negligible/low risk patients. Overall CR-POPF rates were significantly lower after protocol implementation (11.2 vs 20.6%, P = 0.001). The protocol cohort also demonstrated lower rates of severe complication, any complication, reoperation, and percutaneous drainage (all P < 0.05). These patients also experienced reduced hospital stay (median: 8 days vs 9 days, P = 0.001). There were no differences between cohorts in the frequency of bile or chyle leaks. Conclusions: Drains can be safely omitted for one-quarter of PDs. Drain amylase analysis identifies which moderate/high risk patients benefit from early drain removal. This data-driven, risk-stratified approach significantly decreases the occurrence of clinically relevant pancreatic fistula.

Diagnosis and management of postoperative pancreatic fistula

BackgroundPostoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the leading complication after partial pancreatic resection and is associated with increased length of hospital stay and resource utilization. The introduction of a common definition in 2005 by the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS), which has been since employed in the vast majority of reports, has allowed a reliable comparison of surgical results. Despite the systematic investigation of risk factors and of surgical techniques, the incidence of POPF did not change in recent years, whereas the associated mortality has decreased.PurposeThe purposes of this review article were to summarize the current evidence on the diagnosis and management strategies of POPF and to provide a concise reference for the practicing surgeons and physicians.ConclusionThe high incidence of POPF was accompanied by a shift from operative to non-operative management. However, the current management strategy is driven by the patient’s condition and local expertise and is generally based on poor evidence. A randomized trial showed that enteral nutrition is superior to total parenteral nutrition, and pooled data of randomized trials failed to show any advantage of somatostatin analogs for accelerating fistula closure. The choice of percutaneous versus endoscopic drainage of peripancreatic collections remains arbitrary, and—when re-operation is needed—there are very few comparative data regarding local drainage with or without main pancreatic stenting as opposed to anastomotic revision or salvage re-anastomosis. The continuous development of specialist, high-volume units with appropriate resources and multidisciplinary experience in complication management might further improve the evidence and the outcomes.

Pancreaticojejunostomy after pancreaticoduodenectomy: Suture material and incidence of post-operative pancreatic fistula

PURPOSE Pancreatic fistula represents the most important complication in terms of clinical management and costs after pancreaticoduodenectomy. A lot of studies have investigated several techniques in order to reduce pancreatic fistula, but data on the effect of sutures material on pancreatic fistula are not available. The analysis investigated the role of suture material in influencing pancreatic fistula rate and severity. METHODS Results from 130 consecutive pancreaticoduodenectomy with pancreaticojejunostomy performed between March 2013 and September 2014 were prospectively collected and analyzed. In 65 cases pancreaticojejunostomy was performed with absorbable sutures, in the other 65 cases using non-absorbable sutures (polyester, silk and polybutester). RESULTS Pancreaticojejunostomy with non-absorbable sutures had the same incidence of pancreatic fistula, but less severe and with less episodes of post-operative bleeding if compared with absorbable sutures. A sub-analysis was carried out comparing polydioxanone with polyester: the latter was associated with a lower pancreatic fistula rate (11.9% vs. 31.7%; p = 0,01) and less severe pancreatic anastomosis dehiscence (grade C - 0% vs. 30%; p = 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analysis confirmed that hard pancreatic texture, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma at final histology and the use of polyester for pancreaticojejunostomy were associated with a lower pancreatic fistula rate (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of pancreatic juice and bile on different sutures and pancreatic tissue response to different materials. However, pancreaticojejunostomy performed with polyester sutures is safe and feasible and is associated to a lower incidence of pancreatic fistula with less severe clinical impact.

Modifications in the International Study Group for Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS) definition of postoperative pancreatic fistula

Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) remains the major postoperative cause of morbidity and mortality following pancreatic surgery. Since 2005, the International Study Group of Pancreatic Fistula (ISGPF) definition and classification has been adopted worldwide allowing the comparison among different surgical approaches and mitigation strategies. Over the last 11 years, several limitations have emerged from clinical practice and in 2016 the International Study Group for Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS) updated the POPF definition and grading system. Objectives of this review article were to summarize modifications in the updated ISGPS definition and to illustrate their clinical impact.

Prevent Pancreatic Fistula after Pancreatoduodenectomy: Possible Role of Ultrasound Elastography

Background: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the utility of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) on pancreatic tissue as a preoperative predictor of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). Studied patients underwent exclusively to pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) surgery. Methods: Shear wave velocity of pancreas was measured using ARFI in 71 patients scheduled for PD. An intraoperative pancreas palpation was made by surgeons. A postoperative clinical evaluation to detect occurrence of POPF was performed. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values together with the accuracy of the method were investigated. Results: Incidence of fistula observed in 17 patients with soft pancreas was approximately 53% vs. 47% without fistula. Percentage of patients without fistula was higher (66%) among 24 patients with medium parenchymal texture values, and was even higher (69%) in 26 patients with hard pancreas. Comparing ARFI and intraoperative pancreatic palpation, low wave velocity values (≤1.40 m/s) match 60% with soft parenchyma assessed by palpation and high values (>2 m/s) match 59% with hard pancreas on palpation. Conclusions: This study shows that ARFI elastography may be clinically useful as a preoperative predictor of pancreatic fistula following PD.

Postoperative Management in Patients Undergoing Major Pancreatic Resections

Perioperative care following pancreatectomy in “high-volume” center is based on the application of standardized protocols. The clinical practice includes multimodal strategies that aim to limit postoperative complications, to improve recovery, and to reduce the length of hospital stay after surgery. This chapter discusses the perioperative care of patients undergoing pancreatic resections focusing on major topics such as fluid management, antimicrobial prophylaxis, feeding, drain management, administration of prophylactic somatostatin or its analogues, and radiological findings following surgery.

Quantitative CT analysis for the preoperative prediction of pathologic grade in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) account for approximately 5% of all pancreatic tumors, affecting one individual per million each year.1 PanNETs are difficult to treat due to biological variability from benign to highly malignant, indolent to very aggressive. The World Health Organization classifies PanNETs into three categories based on cell proliferative rate, usually detected using the Ki67 index and cell morphology: low-grade (G1), intermediate-grade (G2) and high-grade (G3) tumors. Knowledge of grade prior to treatment would select patients for optimal therapy: G1/G2 tumors respond well to somatostatin analogs and targeted or cytotoxic drugs whereas G3 tumors would be targeted with platinum or alkylating agents.2, 3 Grade assessment is based on the pathologic examination of the surgical specimen, biopsy or ne-needle aspiration; however, heterogeneity in the proliferative index can lead to sampling errors.4 Based on studies relating qualitatively assessed shape and enhancement characteristics on CT imaging to tumor grade in PanNET,5 we propose objective classification of PanNET grade with quantitative analysis of CT images. Fifty-five patients were included in our retrospective analysis. A pathologist graded the tumors. Texture and shape-based features were extracted from CT. Random forest and naive Bayes classifiers were compared for the classification of G1/G2 and G3 PanNETs. The best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0:74 and accuracy of 71:64% was achieved with texture features. The shape-based features achieved an AUC of 0:70 and accuracy of 78:73%.