Endovascular procedures in pancreatic surgery

Abstract

To evaluate an effectiveness of endovascular techniques in pancreatic surgery. For the period 1995-2017 at Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery endovascular treatment (EVT) was applied in 51 patients with chronic pancreatitis complicated by false aneurysms (FA) and postoperative hemorrhage after pancreatectomy. Various methods of embolization and stenting were used in 24 and 11 cases respectively in order to exclude FA of celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery from blood flow. Endovascular hemostasis for postoperative hemorrhage was carried out with embolization of damaged vessel in 11 patients. Stent-grafts were deployed in 5 patients with marginal defect of the wall of hepatic/superior mesenteric arteries. In all 35 patients with chronic pancreatitis complicated by false aneurysms EVT ensured thrombosis of the aneurysm's cavity. EVT was final in 14 patients with FA and absent communication with pancreatic duct. Radical surgical treatment was required after 7-10 days for FA communicated with pancreatic duct due to lysis of thrombotic masses by pancreatic enzymes. Spleen infarction was diagnosed in 3 patients. Two of them did not require treatment while 1 patient underwent splenectomy in view of splenic abscess. 1 patient died from liver cirrhosis followed by severe hepatic failure, death was not associated with bleeding. In 16 patients with post-pancreatectomy bleeding hemostasis was achieved in all cases with EVT. However, recurrent bleeding occurred in 2 patients who underwent successful redo endovascular intervention. Complications after EVT were observed in 2 patients: duodenal wall necrosis followed by fistula which was closed spontaneously (n=1); advanced intestinal infarction (n=1) followed by fatal outcome; pulsating hematoma within cubital fossa that required brachial artery ligation and autovenous bypass. EVT provides thrombosis of FAs of celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery branches in patients with chronic pancreatitis, as well as hemostasis for postoperative bleeding after pancreatectomy.