The impact of prevention of delayed gastric emptying on long-term prognosis and nutritional status after pancreaticoduodenectomy: a single-center retrospective cohort study

Background Delayed gastric emptying (DGE) remains an unsolved complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified reconstruction technique -anchored straight stomach reconstruction (ASSR) - in reducing the incidence of DGE, and its impact on survival after PD. Methods A retrospective analysis of 121 consecutive PD patients was conducted: 100 of them had undergone ASSR and the remaining 21 had undergone conventional modified Child method of reconstruction. The two groups were then compared with regard to the incidence of DGE and long-term outcome including postoperative nutritional status. Results The incidence of significant DGE in the ASSR group (5%) was significantly lower than that in the conventional group (29%) (p