title: Ligation of the pancreatic duct in pancreatectomy.
abstract: This study was undertaken to determine the safety of duct ligation in pancreatic surgery. Duct ligation was performed in 43 patients after pancreaticoduodenectomy and in 108 patients after distal pancreatectomy; 33 patients had a pancreaticojejunostomy after a pancreaticoduodenectomy. All procedures were performed between 1965 and 1975; the analysis was retrospective. The mortality and morbidity for the duct ligation group after pancreaticoduodenectomy were 19 per cent and 77 per cent and after distal pancreatectomy were 4 per cent and 9 per cent respectively. After pancreaticoduodenectomy with pancreaticojejunostomy the mortality was 18 per cent with a morbidity of 33 per cent. It is concluded that distal pancreatectomy with duct ligation is a relatively safe procedure, while after pancreaticoduodenectomy the morbidity is significantly reduced (P less than 0.001) by a pancreaticojejunostomy.
mesh_terms: D004386:Duodenum / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008026:Ligation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D010180:Pancreatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality