Clinical impact of preoperative acute pancreatitis in patients who undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary tumors

AIM: To investigate the impact of preoperative acute pancreatitis (PAP) on the surgical management of periampullary tumors. METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with periampullary tumors and PAP were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty-four patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and 4 patients who underwent total pancreatectomy were compared with a control group of 145 patients without PAP during the same period. RESULTS: The preoperative waiting time was significantly shorter for the concomitant PAP patients who underwent a resection (22.4 d vs 54.6 d, p < 0.001) compared to those who did not. The presence of PAP significantly increased the rate of severe complications (Clavien grade 3 or higher) (17.6% vs 4.8%, p = 0.019) and lengthened the hospital stay (19.5 d vs 14.5 d, p = 0.006). A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that PAP was an independent risk factor for postoperative pancreatic fistula (OR = 2.91; 95% CI: 1.10-7.68; p = 0.032) and severe complications (OR = 4.70; 95% CI: 1.48-14.96; p = 0.009) after PD. There was no perioperative mortality. CONCLUSION: PAP significantly increases the incidence of severe complications and lengthens the hospital stay following PD. PD could be safely performed in highly selective patients with PAP.