Retroduodenal resection of the extrahepatic common bile duct with in situ re-implantation of the main pancreatic duct: A report of two cases

Resection of the whole distal common bile duct (CBD) with in situ re-implantation of the main pancreatic duct can be a surgical option to avoid pancreaticoduodenectomy. in this study, we present two cases of cholangiocarcinomas with diffuse involvement of the extrahepatic CBD that was resected through a retroduodenal approach and re-implantation of the main pancreatic duct. The first case was a 70-year-old male patient with intraductal papillary neoplasm with invasive cholangiocarcinoma. He underwent retroduodenal resection of the whole CBD and in situ re-implantation of the main pancreatic duct. He was disease-free for 8 years, but tumor recurrence occurred at the hepaticojejunostomy site. This patient is currently undergoing chemoradiation therapy for treatment of recurrent lesions. The second case was a 71-year-old male patient with diffuse cholangiocarcinoma involving the whole extrahepatic CBD. He underwent medial sectionectomy, retroduodenal resection of the whole CBD and in situ re-implantation of the main pancreatic duct. He received postoperative chemoradiation therapy. He was disease-free for 3 years, but tumor recurrence occurred at the hepaticojejunostomy site. He passed away 4 years and 6 months after surgery. In conclusion, complete resection of the extrahepatic CBD through a retroduodenal approach with in situ re-implantation of the main pancreatic duct is feasible and less invasive than PD. Therefore, the proposed less-invasive approach can be an alternative procedure in selected patients requiring complete resection of the distal CBD.