Duodenum-Preserving Pancreatic Head Resection for Benign and Premalignant Tumors—a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Surgery-Associated Morbidity

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic benign, cystic, and neuroendocrine neoplasms are increasingly detected and recommended for surgical treatment. In multiorgan resection pancreatoduodenectomy or parenchyma-sparing, local extirpation is a challenge for decision-making regarding surgery-related early and late postoperative morbidity. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Libraries were searched for studies reporting early surgery-related complications following pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) and duodenum-preserving total (DPPHRt) or partial (DPPHRp) pancreatic head resection for benign tumors. Thirty-four cohort studies comprising data from 1099 patients were analyzed. In total, 654 patients underwent DPPHR and 445 patients PD for benign tumors. This review and meta-analysis does not need ethical approval. RESULTS: Comparing DPPHRt and PD, the need for blood transfusion (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.10–0.41, p<0.01), re-intervention for serious surgery-related complications (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.31–0.73, p<0.001), and re-operation for severe complications (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.26–0.95, p=0.04) were significantly less frequent following DPPHRt. Pancreatic fistula B+C (19.0 to 15.3%, p=0.99) and biliary fistula (6.3 to 4.3%; p=0.33) were in the same range following PD and DPPHRt. In-hospital mortality after DPPHRt was one of 350 patients (0.28%) and after PD eight of 445 patients (1.79%) (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.10–1.09, p=0.07). Following DPPHRp, there was no mortality among the 192 patients. CONCLUSION: DPPHR for benign pancreatic tumors is associated with significantly fewer surgery-related, serious, and severe postoperative complications and lower in-hospital mortality compared to PD. Tailored use of DPPHRt or DPPHRp contributes to a reduction of surgery-related complications. DPPHR has the potential to replace PD for benign tumors and premalignant cystic and neuroendocrine neoplasms of the pancreatic head. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11605-023-05789-4.