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Background: Although mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) or distal pancreatectomy (DP) has decreased, morbidity still remains high. The aim of this review article is to present, define, predict, prevent, and manage the main complications after pancreatic resection (PR)., Methods: A non-systematic literature search on morbidity and mortality after PR was undertaken using the PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase databases., Results: The main complications after PR are delayed gastric emptying (DGE), pancreatic fistula (PF), and bleeding, as defined by the International Study Group on Pancreatic Surgery. PF occurs in 10% to 15% of patients after PD and in 10% to 30% of patients after DP. The different techniques of pancreatic anastomosis and pancreatic remnant closure do not show significant advantages in the prevention of PF, nor does the perioperative use of somatostatin and its analogues. The trend is for conservative or interventional radiology therapy for PF (with enteral nutrition), which achieves a success rate of approximately 80%. DGE after PD occurs in 20% to 50% of patients. Prophylactic erythromycin may reduce the incidence of DGE. Gastric aspiration with erythromycin is usually effective in one to three weeks. Bleeding (gastrointestinal and intraabdominal) occurs in 4% to 16% of patients after PD and in 2% to 3% of patients after DP. Endovascular treatment can only be used for a haemodynamically stable patient. In cases of haemodynamic instability or associated septic complications, surgical treatment is necessary. In expert centres, the mortality rates can be less than 1% after DP and less than 3% after PD., Conclusion: There is a need for improved strategies to prevent and treat complications after PR., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aim of this prospective study was to determine the short- and long-term results of the Frey procedure in the treatment of chronic pancreatitis., Methods: From September 2000 to November 2009, 44 consecutive patients underwent the Frey procedure. Patients were included in the study before surgery and followed prospectively with assessment of pain relief, weight gain and exocrine/endocrine insufficiency. Twenty-one patients (47.7%) were followed for more than 5 years., Results: This study included 40 men (91 %) and four women (9 %) (mean age: 49 years) with a mean follow-up of 51.5 months. The primary etiology of chronic pancreatitis was chronic alcohol abuse in 38 patients (86.4 %). The major indication for surgery was disabling pain (95.5 %). There was no postoperative mortality. Postoperative morbidity occurred in 15 patients (34.1 %), with specific surgical complications in 11 patients (25 %). The percentage of pain-free patients after surgery was 68.3 %. Eight patients (18.1 %) and seven patients (16 %) developed diabetes de novo and exocrine insufficiency, respectively. The Body Mass Index showed statistically significant improvement during follow-up. Similar beneficial results concerning pain relief and weight gain persisted after the initial 5-year follow-up., Conclusions: The Frey procedure is an appropriate, safe and effective technique for management of patients with chronic pancreatitis in the absence of neoplasia, based on long-term follow-up.

Introduction: The mild pancreatic tumors are more and more treated by central pancreatectomy (CP) in alternative with the widened pancreatectomies. Indeed, their morbidity is lesser but they are however burdened by a rate of important postoperative fistulas. The purpose of our study is to compare pancreatico-jejunal anastomosis and pancreatico-gastric anastomosis., Methods: This work was realized in a bicentric retrospective way. Twenty-five CP were included and classified according to two groups according to the pancreatic anastomosis (group 1 for pancreatico-jejunal anastomosis and group 2 for the pancreatico-gastric anastomosis). CP was realized according to a protocol standardized in both centers and the complications were classified according to the classification of Clavien and Dindo and the fistulas according to the classification of Bassi., Results: Both groups were comparable. The duration operating and the blood losses were equivalent in both groups. There was a significant difference (P=0,014) as regards the rate of fistula. The pancreatico-gastric anastomosis complicated more often of a low-grade fistula. However, in both groups, the treatment was mainly medical. Our results were comparable with those found in the literature and confirmed the advantages of the CP with regard to the cephalic duodeno-pancreatectomy (DPC) or to the distal pancreatectomy (DP). However, in the literature, a meta-analysis did not report difference between both types of anastomosis but this one concerned only the DPC., Conclusions: This work showed a less important incidence of low-grade fistula after pancreatico-jejunal anastomosis in the fall of a PM. This result should be confirmed by a later study on a more important sample of PM., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Indications for pancreatic resections for metastatic disease have not yet been defined to date, and few guidelines exist for the management of these lesions. However, most authors recommend surgery as the treatment of choice for pancreatic metastasis (PM). Resection of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is rarely done during removal of peripancreatic cancer. This report presents the first case of metachronous PM from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with IVC involvement successfully treated by en-bloc resection in a 70-year-old asymptomatic woman. The abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan showed a 4.0-cm mass in the tail and a 5.0-cm mass in the head of the pancreas with a suspected involvement of vena cava. An en-bloc total pancreatectomy was performed with excision of the involved portion of the cava vein. Histology confirmed the presence of two metastases from RCC with neoplastic infiltration of the IVC and without lymph node involvement. All surgical margins were tumor-free. At most recent follow-up 12 months after pancreatectomy, the patient has no evidence of disease. We believe that a multidisciplinary approach and careful evaluation and treatment of these patients is a mandatory component for patient selection. IVC resection should be performed only when a margin-negative resection is expected to be achieved.

Abstract: The authors report a case of hydatid cyst of the pancreas in a 29-year-old man. Biology and computed tomography contributed to the preoperative diagnosis. The intervention consisted in a left pancreatectomy with spleen ablation. In the light of this case and the literature review, the authors discuss diagnostic issues raised by hydatid cyst of the pancreas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]