Extramucosal pancreaticojejunostomy at laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy

Abstract

While the 'best pancreatic anastomosis technique' debate is going during Whipple procedure, the laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy lately began to appear more and more often in the medical literature. All the popular anastomosis techniques used in open pancreas surgery are being experienced in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy. However, when they were adapted to laparoscopy, their implementation was not technically easy, and assistance of robotic surgery was sometimes required at the pancreatic anastomosis stage of the procedure. Feasibility and simplicity of a new technique have a vital role in its adaptation to laparoscopic surgery. We frequently use the extra-mucosal single row handsewn anastomosis method in open and laparoscopic surgery of the stomach, small and large bowel and we found it easy and reliable. Here, we defined the adaptation of this technique to the laparoscopic pancreas anastomosis. The outcomes were not inferior to the other previously described techniques and it has the advantage of simplicity.