Does Preoperative Acute Pancreatitis Inevitably Delay Pancreatoduodenectomy in Patients with Periampullary Tumors?

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Acute pancreatitis can occur preoperatively in patients with periampullary tumors and cause technical difficulties in performing pancreatoduodenectomy. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate how preoperative acute pancreatitis would affect postoperative outcomes and to identify the optimal timing of surgery. There were more patients with operation failure (only exploration or unintended total pancreatectomy) in patients with pancreatitis, but no difference was found in rates of other complications. Moreover, when stratified by the timing of surgery, the surgical outcomes did not differ between the patients with and without pancreatitis. The results imply that in terms of surgical complications, pancreatoduodenectomy could be safely performed in patients with preoperative pancreatitis. Further research is necessary to identify safe conditions and proper timing of surgery for patients with preoperative pancreatitis. ABSTRACT: Preoperative acute pancreatitis (PAP) in patients with periampullary tumor can cause technical difficulties when performing pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) but perioperative risks of PAP remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of PAP on surgical outcomes and determine the optimal timing of PD. Patients undergoing surgery for periampullary tumors between 2009 and 2018 were included. Simple random sampling (1:4) was performed to compare outcomes between the PAP group and the control group. Operative failure was defined as exploration-only or unwanted total pancreatectomy. The rate of operative failure was higher in the PAP group than in the control group (6.6% vs. 0%, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in postoperative outcomes including complications or in-hospital mortality between the two groups. Surgical outcomes were compared after dividing PAP groups by intervals (2, 3, or 4 weeks) between the onset of PAP and surgery, and there were no differences between the groups. In conclusion, in spite of the increased risk of operation failure, PD could be performed in PAP patients at comparable rates of postoperative complications. Further study is needed to select patients with PAP in proper conditions for performing PD.