title: Carcinoma of the head of the pancreas. Morbidity and mortality of surgical procedures.
abstract: This retrospective study analyses the peri-operative morbidity and mortality of 165 patients presenting with carcinoma of the head of the pancreas over a 5-year period. Patients clinically fit for surgery (84%) were subdivided into three main groups, namely: group I (6%) underwent pancreaticoduodenal resection; group II (42%) had locoregionally advanced disease; and group III (36%) with metastatic disease. The latter group was subdivided into groups IIIa (22%) without ascites and IIIb (14%) with ascites. In the palliative groups (II and III), 61% underwent operative biliary drainage procedures, 33% a combined biliary drainage and a duodenal bypass procedure and 5% a duodenal bypass only. Obstructive jaundice recurred in 3% of cases after operative biliary drainage. Only 7% of patients required a duodenal bypass during follow-up. The mortality rates after surgery were 22% following pancreaticoduodenectomy (group I), 1.5% for the palliative procedures in group II, but 17% in group IIIa patients with metastatic disease without ascites and 83% when ascites was present (group IIIb). This study demonstrates that patients with ascites, although clinically fit for surgery, had a prohibitively high operative mortality rate and represented a subgroup of patients better treated by non-operative methods. Surgical drainage of the biliary system in all other cases had acceptably low morbidity and mortality rates. A prophylactic duodenal bypass is not mandatory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery (G72), University of the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Basson
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Du Toit
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Nel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015904:Biliopancreatic Diversion / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality*; D018579:Patient Selection; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome