Surgical approach for tumours of the third and fourth part of the duodenum. Distal pancreas-sparing duodenectomy

• Optimal surgical procedure for distal duodenal tumours remains controversial.
• There are few reports describing a partial duodenectomy of the distal duodenum.
• We report eight patients who underwent a pancreas-sparing distal duodenectomy.
• The main surgical approach follows the technique described by Cattell and Braash.

The anatomic complexity of the duodenum makes surgical resection challenging. We describe our experience with distal pancreas-sparing duodenectomy (PSD) for tumours that arise in the third and fourth parts of the duodenum. Between July 2008 and January 2012 eight patients underwent surgical resection for tumours in the distal parts of the duodenum. Short and long-term outcomes of treatment are retrospectively analyzed. We used the Cattell and Braash surgical approach in six patients. Seven patients underwent a segmental resection of the distal duodenum with a duodenojejunal anastomosis and in one case we performed a wedge local excision with primary closure. There were 5 gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST), 1 primary duodenal adenocarcinoma, 1 metastasis of a lung adenocarcinoma and 1 patient with malignant duodenocolic fistula caused by advanced sigmoid colon carcinoma. Median operating time was 200 min and median intraoperatory blood loss 162 mL. Three patients showed postoperative complications and one of them died. There was no reoperation. Median hospital stay was 10 days (range, 7–28 days). The patient with primary adenocarcinoma died after 12 months due to hepatic metastases. All of five patients with GIST are alive without recurrence (mean follow up of 65.6 months), as well as the patient with metastatic duodenal infiltration (45 months after surgery). Segmental resection of the third and fourth portions of the duodenum is reliable and feasible. The Cattell and Braash manoeuvre provides a good exposure and makes this kind of resection easier.