Pancreaticogastrostomy following distal pancreatectomy prevents pancreatic fistula-related complications.

Background: The most common postoperative complication after distal pancreatectomy (DP) is still postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), which is closely associated with other major complications and remains an unsolved problem.

Methods: This retrospective study included 47 consecutive patients who underwent a distal pancreatectomy with (DP-PG group, n = 21) or without (DP group, n = 26) duct-to-mucosa pancreaticogastrostomy from June 2010 to May 2012. Clinical data including POPF-related complications (POPF, fluid collection, intra-abdominal abscess, bleeding and delayed gastric emptying) as a primary endpoint were compared between the two groups.

Results: The frequencies of POPF-related complications as well as overall POPF and complications in the DP-PG group were lower than in the DP group (P = 0.037, P < 0.001, respectively). The 30 days morbidity after hospital discharge in the DP-PG group was less than in the DP group (P = 0.014). In both groups median hospital stay was similar. Although additional time needed for pancreaticogastrostomy was 35 (20-55) min, there was no difference in operative times. Patients in the DP group had a higher medical cost for hospitalization than the DP-PG group (P = 0.048).

Conclusion: Pancreaticogastrostomy as an additional procedure following distal pancreatectomy was associated with a reduced rate of POPF-related complications that resulted in relatively lower medical cost for hospitalization.