Abstract
Introduction: Delayed gastric emptying (DGE) is a relatively common complication in patients after partial duodenopancreatectomy (PDPE) and significantly contributes to their postoperative morbidity. There has only been a small amount of interest attributed to DGE in Czech literature.
The aim of this article is to present and analyze our own experience with the occurrence of DGE after PDPE. Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 106 patients who underwent a PDPE at the Department of Surgery, University Hospital Motol and 2nd Medical Faculty, between 2001 and 2011.
The data were statistically analyzed using the Chi-square test with statistical significance set at 5% of probability value (p < 0.05). Results: During the reporting period, PDPE was performed in 106 patients with a pathological process in the pancreatic head. 4 patients died in the postoperative period (30-day mortality 3.8%).
Major postoperative complications occurred in 31 patients (morbidity 29%), with clinically significant DGE (grade B and C) in almost half of them (16 patients). Along with the DGE, 4 patients suffered from other major complications (2 pancreatic anastomotic insufficiency, 1 bile fistula and 1 external pancreatic fistula).
We did not prove a statistically significant difference in the incidence of DGE depending either on the type of resection or pancreatic anastomosis type. Conclusion: DGE contributes significantly to postoperative morbidity in patients after PDPE and is associated with other serious postoperative complications in a considerable number of cases.