Postoperative biological and clinical outcomes following uncomplicated pancreaticoduodenectomy

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: The aim of this study was to describe clinical and biological changes in a group of patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) without any complication during the postoperative period. These changes reflect the "natural history" of PD, and a deviation should be considered as a warning sign. METHODS: Between January 2000 and December 2009, 131 patients underwent PD. We prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed demographic data, pathological variables, associated pathological conditions, and preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables. Postoperative variables were validated using an external prospective database of 158 patients. RESULTS: The mean postoperative length of hospital stay was 20.3+/-4 days. The mean number of days until removal of nasogastric tube was 6.3+/-1.6 days. The maximal fall in hemoglobin level occurred on day 3 and began to increase after postoperative day (POD) 5, in patients with or without transfusions. The white blood cell count increased on POD 1 and persisted until POD 7. There was a marked rise in aminotransferase levels at POD 3. The peak was significantly higher in patients with hepatic pedicle occlusion (866+/-236 IU/L versus 146+/-48 IU/L; p<0.001). For both gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and alkaline phosphatase, there was a fall on POD1, which persisted until POD 5, followed with a stabilization. Bilirubin decreased progressively from POD 1 onwards. CONCLUSIONS: This study facilitates a standardized biological and clinical pathway of follow-up. Patients who do not follow this recovery indicator could be at risk of complications and additional exams should be made to prevent consequences of such complications.

Prospective evaluation of the quality of laparoscopic sigmoid resection for diverticular disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There were no studies comparing whether the same principles as those in conventional surgery have been applied to the laparoscopic procedure. The aim of this study was to compare the quality of open sigmoid colectomy (OSC) with laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy (LSC) for diverticular disease. Specific measurements made were of the level of anastomosis from sacral promontory, distance from anal verge, specimen length and recurrence rates. METHODOLOGY: Comparison was made between 72 consecutive patients who underwent an elective LSC to a control group of 22 patients who had previously undergone an OSC in the same institution. All patients had proctoscopy to measure the distance from the anal verge. A computed tomography without injection of contrast medium was performed in all cases to measure the distance from the sacral promontory to the top of the staple row. Length of fresh resected specimen and recurrence rates of diverticulitis were used for comparison. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of distance of anastomosis from anal verge (p=0.78) and distance from sacral promontory (p=0.65) in LSC and OSC patients respectively. Specimen length was more extensive in the OSC group than in the LSC group (p=0.02). After a mean follow-up of 43.5 (+/- 14.8) months in the LSC group and 62.4 (+/- 7.4) months in the OSC group, there was no difference in recurrent attack's rates of diverticulitis. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that laparoscopic procedure applied the same principles as those used in conventional surgery.