Teres ligamentum wrap covering the pancreaticojejunostomy following pancreatoduodenectomy is associated with a lower rate of postoperative pancreas fistula: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Post-operative pancreas fistula (POPF) is a common complication after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). A Teres Ligamentum (TL)-wrap covering the pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) is suggested as a potential solution to reduce POPF. The aim of this study was to compare POPF incidence (grade B/C) in patients with or without a TL-wrap.

METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed between January 2019-December 2021. All consecutive patients were included. Patient, tumor and surgical characteristics and postoperative complications were compared in both open and robot-assisted surgery.

RESULTS: A total of 118 consecutive patients were included. The first 57 patients were treated without and the following 61 patients with a TL-wrap. There were no statistically significant differences between both groups regarding patient, pre-operative treatment and surgical characteristics. The occurrence of POPF was strongly reduced in the TL-wrap group compared to patients without a TL-wrap (3.3% vs 28.1%, P < 0.001). Also mean length of hospital stay was reduced (11.5 vs 18.8 days, P = 0.030).

CONCLUSION: The use of a TL-wrap covering the PJ as addition to the modified Blumgart anastomosis technique is associated with a significantly reduced POPF rate and a reduced length of hospital stay. A TL-wrap is a simple addition to a PJ that may be considered to improve postoperative outcome. This association must be studied more definitively in a randomized controlled trial.