1996 Volume 57 Issue 11 Pages 2771-2774
We successfully treated a patient with traumatic pancreatic transection by pancreatogastrostomy aiming at the preservation of the pancreas.
A 32-year-old woman was seen at the hospital by an ambulance car for a traffic accident. Fracture of the right medial malleolus of the tibia and traumatic left hemopneumothorax were noted. The patient was admitted to the hospital. On admission no abdominal abnormalities were found out and abdominal ultasonography also revealed no abnormality in the abdominal cavity. Epigastric pain occurred about 6 hours after the trauma and re-ultrasonography visualiged a small tumorous mass in the body of the pancreas. Injury of the pancreas was suspected. Ultrasonography was performed in different times thereafter and an enlargement of the tumor was shown. After emergency endoscopic retrograde cholan-giopancreatography (ERCP), an emergency operation was carried out with a diagnosis of complete pancreatic transection. The pancreas was completely transected at the body. Entertaining her age, we employed a pancreatogastostomy for the purpose of preserving the body and tail of the pancreas. The post-operative course was uneventful without any complications. The pancreatic function has been kept in a good condition.
We often see reports of removing the tail-side pancreas for pancreatic transection in a review of the literature. In terms of preservation of the pancreas, pancreatogastrostomy appears to be recommended, because it permits less anastomoses and minimal complications.
