Extrahepatic portal vein occlusion without recurrence after pancreaticoduodenectomy and intraoperative radiation therapy.
OBJECTIVE
Although there are no definitive studies that characterize the survival benefit of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), the therapy does not seem to produce significant complication. In our institution, pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and IORT are often complicated by the development of extrahepatic portal vein occlusion (EHPO). The aim of this study was to characterize the phenomenon of EHPO after PD and IORT.


METHODS
Between September 1992 and December 2001, 107 patients received macroscopic curative PD for periampullary disease in our institution. IORT (radiation dose: 20 Gy) was performed in 53 of these patients. Criteria for diagnosis of EHPO were as follows: (1) computerized tomography findings of occlusive extrahepatic portal vein, (2) symptoms of portal hypertension, and (3) confirmation to exclude tumor recurrence from origin of EHPO, because this study examined whether EHPO was a complication of PD and IORT.


RESULTS
EHPO was diagnosed in 12 patients. Among patient and operative variables, IORT was the only statistically significant factor associated with a diagnosis of EHPO (p = 0.0052). The median developed time to EHPO and overall survival after surgery in EHPO patients were 358 days and 2,562 days, respectively. Eight patients (67%) with EHPO died during the follow-up period. At 5 years after therapy, EHPO was diagnosed in 67% of survivors who had received IORT.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients undergoing IORT and PD have a relatively high incidence of EHPO, and patients who develop postoperative EHPO have poor prognoses.
Mitsunaga
Shuichi
S
Department of Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan. smitsuna@east.ncc.go.jp
Kinoshita
Taira
T
Kawashima
Mitsuhiko
M
Konishi
Masaru
M
Nakagohri
Toshio
T
Takahashi
Shinichiro
S
Gotohda
Naoto
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014670:Ampulla of Vater; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D003138:Common Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D004379:Duodenal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011169:Portal Vein; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012008:Recurrence; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality