Laparoscopic transduodenal ampullectomy: initial experience from a single center

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic transduodenal ampullectomy (LTDA) is a function-preserving surgery for pre-malignant tumors of the ampulla of Vater (AoV). However, it is technically challenging, and only a few case reports of LTDA are available in the literature. METHODS: A total of 43 cases of pre-malignant tumors of AoV were operated in West China Hospital, Sichuan University between January 2017 and July 2022. Among these patients, 9 patients (group 1) underwent LTDA, 19 patients (group 2) underwent laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD), and 15 patients (group 3) underwent open transduodenal ampullectomy (OTDA). Prospective collection and retrospective analysis of the demographic characteristics, intraoperative variables, and postoperative variables were carried out. RESULTS: The patients in the three groups were comparable in terms of sex, age, body mass index, tumor size, and preoperative blood tests. In comparison to the patients in group 2, the patients in group 1 were found to require less operative time (159.7 ± 47.5 min vs. 298.1 ± 62.6, p < 0.01) and suffered lower blood losses (23.3 ± 16.7 ml vs. 156.8 ± 112.1, p = 0.002) and complications. Moreover, the postoperative hospital stays (POHS) were significantly shorter for patients in group 1 (9.0 ± 5.3 days vs. 15.5 ± 7.3 days, p = 0.04). Compared to patients who underwent OTDA, the patients in LTDA suffered from less blood loss. The operative time and post-operative details were comparable. CONCLUSION: Therefore, LTDA was found to be safe and feasible in the setting of pre-malignant tumors of AoV in well-selected patients. However, multidisciplinary preoperative planning is essential before the surgery.