Prediction and consequences of postoperative pancreatitis after pancreaticoduodenectomy

In this retrospective cohort study, 18 per cent of 508 patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy had clinically relevant postoperative pancreatitis, which increased the overall morbidity of these patients. The available and validated fistula risk scores can also be used to predict the risk of postoperative pancreatitis. Background Recent studies have suggested postoperative acute pancreatitis (POAP) as a serious complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and have speculated on its possible role in the pathogenesis of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). This study aimed to assess the impact of POAP on post-PD outcomes and fistula risk score (FRS) performance in predicting POAP. Methods All PDs at Helsinki University Hospital between 2013 and 2020 were analysed. POAP was defined as a plasma amylase activity greater than the normal upper limit on postoperative day (POD) 1 and stratified as clinically relevant (CR)-POAP once C-reactive protein (CRP) reached or exceeded 180 mg/l, and non-CR-POAP once CRP was less than 180 mg/l on POD 2. The Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) was used to assess total postoperative morbidity. Different FRSs were assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results Of the 508 patients included, POAP occurred in 202 (39.8 per cent) patients, of whom 91 (17.9 per cent) had CR-POAP. The incidence of CR-POPF was 12.6 per cent (64 patients). Patients with non-CR-POAP had a similar morbidity to patients with no POAP (median CCI score 24.2 versus 22.6; P = 0.142), while CCI score was significantly higher (37.2) in patients with CR-POAP (P < 0.001). CR-POAP was associated with increased rates of CR-POPF, delayed gastric emptying, haemorrhage, and bile leak, while non-CR-POAP was associated only with CR-POPF. Ninety-day mortality was 1.6 per cent, 0.9 per cent, and 3.3 per cent in patients with no-POAP, non-CR-POAP, and CR-POAP, respectively. Updated alternative FRS showed the best performance in predicting CR-POAP (area under the curve 0.834). Conclusion CR-POAP was associated with a higher CCI score, suggesting CR-POAP as a distinct entity from non-CR-POAP. FRSs can be used to assess the risk of CR-POAP.

Automated summary

This retrospective cohort study examined patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and found that 18% of them developed clinically relevant postoperative pancreatitis, increasing the overall morbidity rate. The study also showed that validated fistula risk scores can be used to predict the risk of postoperative pancreatitis.