title: Pancreatic division by electrocautery in pancreatoduodenectomy.
abstract: To assess whether electrocautery is appropriate for cutting the pancreas in pancreatoduodenectomy, we compared leakage of the pancreatojejunostomy (PJ-stomy) in patients who underwent pancreatic division by electrocautery and with a conventional scalpel, in a retrospective study. Eighty-four patients with invaginating end-to-end PJ-stomies (performed in the period 1986-1996) were enrolled in this study; 34 patients underwent pancreatic division with a conventional scalpel (group A) and 50 by electrocautery (group B). Of the 84 patients, 12 (14%) had leakage from the PJ-stomies. In relation to consistency of the pancreatic parenchyma, the incidence of leakage in patients with hard pancreas (1/28; 3.6%) was significantly lower than that in patients with soft or moderate pancreas consistency (11/56; 20%) (P < 0.05). Nine patients (27%) in group A and 3 (6%) in group B presented with leakage. The incidence of leakage was significantly lower in group B than in group A (P < 0. 05). Even when patients with hard pancreas were excluded, the incidence of leakage was significantly lower in group B (3/34; 9%) than in group A (8/22; 36%) (P < 0.05). These results suggest that pancreatic division by electrocautery can reduce the incidence of leakage from the pancreatojejunostomy and make pancreatoduodenectomy a safer procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Sendai National Hospital, 2-8-8 Miyagino, Miyagino-ku, Sendai 983-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kakizaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004564:Electrocoagulation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D010193:Pancreaticojejunostomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate