This study compared the postoperative hospital stay and complications of lost stent with external stent after pancreaticoduodenectomy. The complications of pancreaticoduodenectomy are important to affect the postoperative course, and, a stent tube often places across pancreaticojejunostomy to reduce complications. However, there is no report that demonstrates the postoperative course between pancreatic stent types. We conducted a prospective randomized trial on 100 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy comparing external stent and lost stent.
The primary endpoint was defined as postoperative hospital stay. The secondary endpoints were mortality and morbidity, including pancreatic fistula, delayed gastric emptying, intra-abdominal hemorrhage, and intra-abdominal abscess. Patients were recruited into this study before surgery, on the basis of whether pancreatic head resection was anticipated at WMUH for pancreatic head and periampullary disease, and appropriate informed consent was obtained. Exclusion criteria was 1) patients with severe complications which were possible to prolong hospital stay, 2) patients who were diagnosed inadequacy for this study by a physician, 3) patients who could not be placed a pancreatic stent tube, and 4) patients without an informed consent.
