title: Secure placement of a peripancreatic drain after a distal pancreatectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A peripancreatic drain that is placed after a distal pancreatectomy sometimes migrates and becomes ineffective postoperatively. We devised a new drainage method with fixation of the tip of a peripancreatic drain using a loose loop of an absorbable suture.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study was performed on 84 consecutive patients who underwent a distal pancreatectomy followed by peripancreatic drainage with (n = 31) or without (n = 53) fixation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The fixed drain remained in place postoperatively and was removed easily when the drainage became unnecessary. Pancreatic fistula developed in 4 patients with and 11 patients without drain fixation, the incidence between the patients. None with and 7 patients without fixation required additional drainage (interventional or surgical) for pancreatic fistula, the difference being significant. Time to resolution of pancreatic fistula tended to be shorter after drain fixation than after nonfixation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fixation of the tip of a peripancreatic drain is a simple but useful technique for effective drainage after distal pancreatectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kyorin University, School of Medicine, 6-20-2 Shinkawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan. sgym@kyorin-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Nobutsugu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Hiroyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yanagida
authors.forename: Tadahiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masaki
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Yuaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Atomi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004322:Drainage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010180:Pancreatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D010185:Pancreatic Fistula / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013536:Suture Techniques