INTRODUCTION: The mild pancreatic tumors are more and more treated by central pancreatectomy (CP) in alternative with the widened pancreatectomies. Indeed, their morbidity is lesser but they are however burdened by a rate of important postoperative fistulas. The purpose of our study is to compare pancreatico-jejunal anastomosis and pancreatico-gastric anastomosis.

METHODS: This work was realized in a bicentric retrospective way. Twenty-five CP were included and classified according to two groups according to the pancreatic anastomosis (group 1 for pancreatico-jejunal anastomosis and group 2 for the pancreatico-gastric anastomosis). CP was realized according to a protocol standardized in both centers and the complications were classified according to the classification of Clavien and Dindo and the fistulas according to the classification of Bassi.

RESULTS: Both groups were comparable. The duration operating and the blood losses were equivalent in both groups. There was a significant difference (P=0,014) as regards the rate of fistula. The pancreatico-gastric anastomosis complicated more often of a low-grade fistula. However, in both groups, the treatment was mainly medical. Our results were comparable with those found in the literature and confirmed the advantages of the CP with regard to the cephalic duodeno-pancreatectomy (DPC) or to the distal pancreatectomy (DP). However, in the literature, a meta-analysis did not report difference between both types of anastomosis but this one concerned only the DPC.

CONCLUSIONS: This work showed a less important incidence of low-grade fistula after pancreatico-jejunal anastomosis in the fall of a PM. This result should be confirmed by a later study on a more important sample of PM.