Drainage posterior to pancreaticojejunostomy reduces the severity of postoperative pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy

Background Clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) is a common postoperative complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and is associated with severe complications. Drainage is an effective method to treat POPF and prevent POPF-related complications. However, controversy still exists about whether different drainage methods reduce the incidence or the severity of POPF after PD. Methods A closed suction drainage was placed posterior to pancreaticojejunostomy in PD except for other routine drainage placements. A retrospective study was conducted to calculate the incidence and severity of CR-POPF and POPF-related complications and to evaluate the efficacy of this drainage method. Results 295 patients who underwent PD were enrolled in this study, 130 patients in the trial group and 165 patients in the control group. The two groups were comparable in both preoperative and intraoperative characteristics. The overall incidence of CR-POPF was similar between the two groups. The trial group had a significantly decreased incidence of grade C POPF (0% vs. 3.6%, p < 0.05), post-pancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH) (0% vs. 6.1%, p = 0.003), reoperation (0% vs. 3.6%, p = 0.036), intra-abdominal infection (13.1% vs. 25.5%, p = 0.008), and delayed gastric emptying (DGE) (2.3% vs. 8.5%, p = 0.024) than the control group. Subgroup analysis of patients with intermediate/high risk for CR-POPF mirrored these results. Logistic regression identified obstructive jaundice, biliary fistula, POPF, and DGE as independent risk factors for PPH and reoperation, though the results were not significant in multivariate analysis. Conclusions The drainage posterior to pancreaticojejunostomy reduces the severity of POPF and the incidence of POPF-related complications after PD.