Total pancreatectomy as an alternative to high-risk pancreatojejunostomy after pancreatoduodenectomy: a propensity score analysis on surgical outcome and quality of life

Background: Total pancreatectomy (TP) is mentioned as alternative to pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) with high-risk pancreatojejunostomy (PJ) to avoid severe pancreatic fistula-related complications, but its benefit is controversial and comparative studies are scarce.

Methods: Cross-sectional single-center study among patients after PD with high-risk PJ versus patients after single-stage elective TP for any indication (2015-2017), using propensity scores to evaluate surgical outcomes and long-term quality of life (QoL) in three risk strata. EORTC QLQ-C30 and EQ-5D-5L were used for QoL assessment.

Results: Overall, 77 patients after TP (68.8%) and 102 patients after high-risk PD (34.5%) were included. Major morbidity (29.9% vs. 41.2%; p = 0.119) and 90-day mortality (5.2% vs. 8.8%; p = 0.354) did not differ significantly between TP and high-risk PD. Interventions for intra-abdominal fluid collections (9.1% vs. 23.5%, p = 0.011) and postpancreatectomy haemorrhage (6.5% vs. 18.6%; p = 0.018) were more often required after high-risk PD, but these differences did not remain after stratification. QoL was comparable after TP and high-risk PD (75% vs. 83%; p = 0.720), even after stratification.

Conclusions: TP seems not to be inferior to high-risk PD regarding surgical outcomes and QoL. TP could be considered as an alternative to a very high-risk PD, but reluctance persists since TP does not appear to reduce mortality.