Chyle Leak After Pancreatoduodenectomy: Clinical Impact and Risk Factors in a Nationwide Analysis

Chyle leak following root of mesentery dissection in pancreaticoduodenectomy with inferior infracolic superior mesenteric artery first approach

BACKGROUND

The root of mesentery dissection is one of the critical maneuvers, especially in borderline resectable pancreatic head cancer. Intra-abdominal chyle leak (CL) including chylous ascites may ensue in up to 10% of patients after pancreatic resections. Globally recognized superior mesenteric artery (SMA) first approaches are invariably performed. The mesenteric dissection through the inferior infracolic approach has been discussed in this study emphasizing its post-operative impact on CL which is the cornerstone of this study.

AIM

To assess incidence, risk factors, clinical impact of CL following root of mesentery dissection, and the different treatment modalities.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study incorporating the patients who underwent dissection of the root of mesentery with inferior infracolic SMA first approach pancreatoduodenectomy for the ventral body and uncinate mass of pancreas in the Department of Gastrointestinal and General Surgery of Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital from January 1, 2021 to February 28, 2024. Intraoperative findings and postoperative outcomes were analyzed.

RESULTS

In three years, ten patients underwent root of mesentery dissection with inferior infracolic SMA first approach pancreatoduodenectomy. The mean age was 67.6 years with a male-to-female ratio of 4:5. CL was seen in four patients. With virtue of CL, Clavien-Dindo grade II or higher morbidity was observed in four patients. Two patients had a hospital stay of more than 20 days with the former having a delayed gastric emptying and the latter with long-term total parenteral nutrition requirement. The mean operative time was 330 minutes. Curative resection was achieved in 100% of the patients. The mean duration of the intensive care unit and hospital stay were 2.55 ± 1.45 days and 15.7 ± 5.32 days, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Root of mesentery dissection with lymphadenectomy and vascular resection correlated with occurrence of CL. After complete curative resection, these were managed with total parenteral nutrition without adversely impacting outcome.

Postoperative prognostic nutrition index predicts survival in patients with small bowel adenocarcinoma after surgical resection

BACKGROUND

Surgical resection (SR) is the main treatment for small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA), but it increases metabolic demand, systemic inflammation, and digestive dysfunction, resulting in major impacts on the postoperative outcomes of patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of the postoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI), a surrogate marker of inflammation and nutrition, in patients with SBA after resection.

METHODS

From June 2014 to March 2022, 44 consecutive patients who underwent SR for SBA in Taipei Veterans General Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Factors associated with survival including PNI were analyzed.

RESULTS

PNI decreased in patients after SR for SBA (median change: -1.82), particularly in those who underwent Whipple operation or developed postoperative pancreatic fistula. Postoperative PNI <45.2 best predicted overall survival (OS) (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC]: 0.826, p = 0.001). Patients with lower postoperative PNI had significantly worse OS compared to those with higher postoperative values (median OS: 19.3 months vs not reached, p < 0.001). Low postoperative PNI (hazard ratio [HR]: 11.404, p = 0.002), tumoral lymphovascular invasion (HR: 8.023, p = 0.012), and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR: 0.055, p = 0.002) were independent risk factors for OS. Postoperative PNI also significantly predicted recurrence-free survival independent of lymphovascular invasion and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR: 6.705, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

PNI commonly decreases in patients with SBA who undergo Whipple surgery or develop postoperative pancreatic fistula. Postoperative PNI independently predicts survival and may serve as a clinical marker to optimize patient outcomes.

Venous resection increases risk of chyle leak after total pancreatectomy for pancreatic tumors

BACKGROUND

Existing research on chyle leak (CL) after pancreatic surgery is mostly focused on pancreaticoduodenectomy and lacks investigation on total pancreatectomy (TP). This study aimed to explore potential risk factors of CL and develop a predictive model for patients with pancreatic tumor undergoing TP.

METHODS

This retrospective study enrolled 90 consecutive patients undergoing TP from January 2015 to December 2023 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. According to the inclusion criteria, 79 patients were finally included in the following analysis. The LASSO regression and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify risk factors associated with CL and construct a predictive nomogram. Then, the ROC analysis, calibration curve, decision curve analysis (DCA), and clinical impact curve (CIC) were performed to assess its discrimination, accuracy, and efficacy. Due to the small sample size, we adopted the bootstrap resampling method with 500 repetitions for validation. Lastly, we plotted and analyzed the trend of postoperative drainage volume in CL patients.

RESULTS

We revealed that venous resection (OR = 4.352, 95%CI 1.404-14.04, P = 0.011) was an independent risk factor for CL after TP. Prolonged operation time (OR = 1.473, 95%CI 1.015-2.237, P = 0.052) was also associated with an increased incidence of CL. We included these two factors in our prediction model. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.752 (95%CI 0.622-0.874) after bootstrap. The calibration curve, DCA and CIC showed great accuracy and clinical benefit of our nomogram. In patients with CL, the mean drainage volume was significantly higher in venous resection group and grade B CL group.

CONCLUSION

Venous resection was an independent risk factor for chyle leak after TP. Patients undergoing vascular resection during TP should be alert for the occurrence of CL after surgery. We then constructed a nomogram consisted of venous resection and operation time to predict the odds of CL in patients undergoing TP.

Prevention, incidence, and risk factors of chyle leak after radical nephrectomy and thrombectomy

BACKGROUND

To define the incidence and risk factors of chyle leak (CL) after radical nephrectomy and thrombectomy and to determine the impact of chyle leak on oncological outcomes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 445 patients who underwent radical nephrectomy and thrombectomy between January 2014 and January 2023 were included. CL is defined as the drainage of chyle with a triglyceride level greater than 110 mg/dL after oral intake or enteral nutrition. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors of postoperative (CL). The Kaplan-Meier curves were used to compare overall survival and cancer-specific survival.

RESULTS

44 patients (9.9%) were diagnosed as (CL). All patients developed CL within 6 days after the operation with a median time of 3 days. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, Mayo grade and side were independent patient-related risk factors. In addition, operation approach, operation time, and number of lymph nodes harvested were independent surgery-related risk factors. Between the CL group and the non-CL group, neither overall survival nor cancer-specific survival showed statistical differences.

CONCLUSION

Based on this retrospective study of renal cell carcinoma and tumor thrombus patients in our center, we found that the risk factors were Mayo grade, side, operation approach, operation time, and number of lymph nodes harvested, and the occurrence of CL significantly prolonged hospital stay, but had no effect on long-term oncological outcomes.