Case-control study of delayed gastric emptying for patients underwent pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and standard Whipple procedure

Objective To study the delayed gastric emptying for patients underwent pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and standard Whipple procedure. Methods Clinical data of 401 consecutive patients who underwent standard Whipple procedure/pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy between January 2012 and July 2016 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Using the independent-samples t test, χ2 test or Fisher′s exact test, Mann-Whitney test and other statistical methods to compare the postoperative complications between pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and standard Whipple procedure group. Results Compare with standard Whipple procedure group, delayed gastric emptying after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy occurred in 8 of 35 patients(22.9%), obviously higher than it after standard Whipple procedure occurred in 40 of 366 patients(10.9%)(P=0.038). Other postoperative complications were not significantly different(P≥0.05). Each level of delayed gastric emptying after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and standard Whipple procedure were not significantly different(P≥0.05), but the average recovery time of delayed gastric emptying after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (12.13±3.09) d was obviously shorter than it after standard Whipple procedure (17.28±9.63) d (P=0.009). Conclusions Pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy increases the risk of delayed gastric emptying, but it does not increase severity delayed gastric emptying by each level. The recovery time of delayed gastric after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy is shorter. Key words: Pancreaticoduodenectomy; Postoperative complications; Gastric emptying; Case-control studies