Comparative Study Between Internal And External Pancreatic Duct Drainage In Pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Background: Following pancreatic resection, postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is still the leading cause of significant morbidity and death. As pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is one of the greatest challenges in gastrointestinal surgery, the current study aimed to evaluate either internal or external drainage is the best technique for preventing pancreatic fistula (PF) following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Patients and methods: After the exclusion of 12 patients, 48 patients were included and subdivided into two groups; the internal drainage group: the pancreatic duct was drained into the intestinal lumen, and the external drainage group: the pancreatic duct was drained through the anterior abdominal wall. Results: Following up the patients for one month after the surgery revealed no significant difference between the two studied groups regarding the liver parameters. Postoperative drain amylase was less in the internal group than the external group. Operative time and hospital stay were slightly increased in the external group while the postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) was slightly increased in the internal group. Conclusion: there were no significant differences in the risks of postoperative complications between the internal and external drainage groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]