Abstract
Some reports have suggested that polycythemia vera (PV) could be a risk factor for thrombosis and bleeding in surgical patients, indicating that careful perioperative management is important. We report a patient with PV who underwent resection of pancreatic carcinoma. A 74-year-old man had been treated for PV with hydroxyurea and aspirin for 20 years and had a history of cerebral infarction 14 years earlier. He was admitted to another hospital with epigastric pain after meals and elevated serum amylase levels. Pancreatic carcinoma was diagnosed from CT and he was referred to our hospital for surgery. Phlebotomy was performed just before the operation, which was subtotal stomach-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy. For postoperative prophylaxis of thrombosis, he wore compression stockings and intermittent pneumatic compression was employed. He was also treated with gabexate mesilate for 5 days. There were no thrombotic or bleeding complications and he was discharged on postoperative day 28.
