Diamond-shaped versus side-to-side anastomotic duodenoduodenostomy in laparoscopic management of annular pancreas in children: a single-center retrospective comparative study

BACKGROUND: Annular pancreas is a rare congenital disorder that requires surgical management once diagnosed. Diamond-shaped and side-to-side duodenoduodenostomy are both popular worldwide nowadays in the surgical management of annular pancreas. Here we present our experience with laparoscopic management of annular pancreas in the last 5 years and compare the clinical results of the diamond-shaped versus side-to-side anastomotic techniques. METHODS: Fifty-two patients diagnosed with annular pancreas who underwent duodenoduodenostomy at our medical center between January 2016 and April 2021 were included in the study. Forty-four patients underwent laparoscopic diamond-shaped duodenoduodenostomy (DS group) and eight underwent laparoscopic side-to-side duodenoduodenostomy (STS group). Clinical data, including surgical indices and early outcomes after surgery, with at least 19 months of follow-up, were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 52 patients, 61.5% were prenatally diagnosed, and vomiting was the most common clinical manifestation after birth. The operative time and bleeding volume were 187.5 [interquartile range (IQR), 150–228)] min and 2 (IQR, 2–5) mL in the DS group, compared to 175 (IQR, 155–270) min and 2 (IQR, 2–4.25) mL in the STS group (P=0.89 and 0.32 respectively). The mean time from surgery to initial oral feeding and full oral feeding was 6 (IQR, 4–10) and 12 (IQR, 10–15) days in the DS group, compared to 8 (IQR, 4.75–11.25) and 14.5 (IQR, 13–16.75) days in the STS group (P=0.61 and 0.46 respectively). The mean hospital stay was 16 (IQR, 14–19) and 20 (IQR, 17.75–26) days in the DS and STS groups respectively (P=0.13). No severe complications such as anastomotic leakage, anastomotic stenosis, reoperation or unsuspected rehospitalization were noted in either group. Feeding intolerance was revealed in six cases in the DS group and two cases in the STS group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.50). CONCLUSIONS: Both laparoscopic diamond-shaped and side-to-side techniques showed good clinical results in treating annular pancreas. The surgical technique, trans-anastomotic tube and early feeding are not likely to increase the risk of postoperative feeding intolerance.