Pancreatic outflow tract reconstruction after pancreaticoduodenectomy: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the outcomes of pancreaticogastrostomy and pancreaticojejunostomy after pancreatoduodenectomy with the help of a meta-analysis. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials comparing pancreaticogastrostomy and pancreaticojejunostomy were searched electronically using PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and EMBASE. Fixed and random-effects were used to measure pooled estimates. Research indicators included pancreatic fistula, delayed gastric emptying, postoperative hemorrhage, intraperitoneal fluid collection, wound infection, overall postoperative complications, reoperation, and mortality. RESULTS: Overall, 10 randomized controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis, with a total of 1629 patients. The overall incidences of pancreatic fistula and intra-abdominal collections were lower in the pancreaticogastrostomy group than in the pancreaticojejunostomy group (OR=0.73, 95% CI 0.55~0.96, p=0.02; OR=0.59, 95% CI 0.37~0.96, p=0.02, respectively). The incidence of B/C grade pancreatic fistula in the pancreaticogastrostomy group was lower than that in the pancreaticojejunostomy group, but no significant difference was observed (OR=0.61, 95%CI 0.34~1.09, p=0.09). Postoperative hemorrhage was more frequent in the pancreaticogastrostomy group than in the pancreaticojejunostomy group (OR=1.52; 95% CI 1.08~2.14, p=0.02). No significant differences in terms of delayed gastric emptying, wound infection, reoperation, overall postoperative complications, mortality, exocrine function, and hospital readmission were observed between groups. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that pancreaticogastrostomy reduces the incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula and intraperitoneal fluid collection but increases the risk of postoperative hemorrhage compared with pancreaticojejunostomy.