[Springer] Emergency pancreaticoduodenectomy for non-traumatic indications-a systematic review Copy

Purpose: Emergency pancreaticoduodenectomy (EPD) is an uncommon surgical procedure; usually, it is performed in traumatic cases, with non-traumatic indications being very rare. Our review aimed to offer a comprehensive descriptive overview of the characteristics of EPD in non-traumatic settings.

Methods: Our study is a review of individual participant data. PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar and Embase databases were searched. The last search was conducted in March 2022; studies that reported EPD for non-traumatic indications were included in the analysis.

Results: Twenty-six articles were identified, twenty-five providing individual participant data; 17 articles (68%) were case reports. One article was a large retrospective study on the NSQIP (American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement) database, which enrolled 409 patients that underwent EPD for malignant causes. From the other studies, we extracted individual participant data for a total of 66 patients. The patients were divided in subgroups, based on the indication for surgery: malignant causes (39.39%), uncontrollable bleeding (19.69%), iatrogenic injuries (30.3%), perforations (4.54%), or ischemic causes (6.06%). The postoperative morbidity was higher for the perforation subgroup. Postoperative pancreatic fistula is the most common complication reported (21.21%); higher rates were reported in the malignant and bleeding subgroups, with no special mention of this complication in the NSQIP database study. Mortality rate was 10.3% in the NSQIP database and higher, 19.69% in the 66-patient cohort; the highest mortality rates were registered in the perforation and ischemic subgroup.

Conclusion: EPD is a complex surgical intervention, with important associated morbidity and mortality rates, higher than that in elective settings, although it can be a life-saving procedure in selected cases and should be performed only in high-experience centres.

Keywords: Emergency pancreaticoduodenectomy; Emergency surgery; Pancreatic surgery; Systematic review.