To investigate the effectiveness of pre-placed pancreatic duct stents on improving outcomes of pancreatic enucleation for benign tumors, a procedure often discouraged by postoperative complications, such as pancreatic fistulae.

This single-center retrospective cohort study analyzed 148 patients with benign tumors located in the head, neck, and body of the pancreas between February 2021 and February 2024. Thirty-four patients received stent placement by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography 1-2 days before surgery, while 114 did not. Propensity score matching resulted in two groups: stent (n = 30) and non-stent (n = 60). Outcomes compared included enucleation success rate, incidence of pancreatic fistulae, hospital stay, procedural costs, pancreatic function deficiency, and quality of life.

Pre-placement of stents significantly increased enucleation success rate (86.7% vs. 28.3%, p = 1.763 × 10-7), facilitated more laparoscopic surgeries (86.7% vs. 41.7%, p = 4.9 × 10-5), and shortened hospital stays (median 7.5 days vs. 11 days, p = 0.001). The stent group also showed a lower incidence of pancreatic exocrine dysfunction (10.3% vs. 35.7%, p = 0.016) and higher quality of life scores (91.2 ± 5.8 vs. 85.5 ± 13.6, p = 0.019). No significant differences were observed in postoperative complications or overall costs. Additionally, the distance between tumor and main pancreatic duct was shorter in the stent group (4.2 ± 2.2 mm vs. 6.2 ± 2.5 mm, p = 0.008).

Pre-placement of pancreatic duct stents significantly enhances enucleation success rate, reduces hospital stays, preserves pancreatic function, and improves quality of life. These findings advocate the use of pre-placed stents in enucleation procedures. Further prospective studies are warranted to validate these outcomes.

Pancreatic enucleation is indicated for selected patients and tumours with very low oncological risk to preserve a maximum of healthy pancreatic parenchyma. Minimally invasive pancreatic enucleation (MIPE) is increasingly performed. This study aims to assess the impact of tumor location and center experience on textbook outcomes (TBO) in patients undergoing MIPE.

Retrospective nationwide multicentric cohort study including MIPE performed between 2010 and 2021. Tumor localization was classified as head/uncus, neck or body/tail (results are presented in this order). Centers were classified according to a mean volume of MI pancreatectomies performed per year: lower (< 5/year), intermediate (5 to 10/year) and higher volume (≥ 10/year). TBO was defined as meeting all 6 criteria: no postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), no post-pancreatectomy haemorrhage (PPH), no bile leak, no readmission, no mortality, and no severe morbidity.

27 participating centers performed 200 MIPE located in head/uncus (n = 65, 33%), neck (n = 26, 13%) and body/tail (n = 109, 55%), 8% of them performed by robotic approach. Mortality reached 1.5% (n = 3). Head/uncus lesions were larger (p = 0.03), frequently BD-IPMN (p = 0.04), with significant longer operative time (p = 0.002). TBO achievement was high across all tumor locations (52 vs. 73 vs. 67%, p = 0.09) with higher PPH (p = 0.03) or bile leaks (p = 0.03) for head/uncus lesions. In multivariate analysis, overweight (OR 0.49), preoperative biopsy (OR 0.41) and head/uncus lesion (OR 0.34) were independently associated with lower TBO. No independent risk factor was found for POPF or severe morbidity. While expertise level influenced indications, with more cystic lesions (p = 0.002), larger tumors (p = 0.003), 3D use (p = 0.001), and head/uncus lesions (p = 0.04) in high volume centers, TBO was not significantly different (p = 0.45).

MIPE is feasible with 1.5% mortality whatever its localization with higher morbidity for head/uncus lesions, justified by the will to avoid pancreaticoduodenectomy. High volume centers push the limits of MIPE without increasing morbidity.

The surgical intervention approach to insulinomas in proximity to the main pancreatic duct remains controversial. Standard pancreatic resection is recommended by several guidelines; however, enucleation (EN) still attracts surgeons with less risk of late exocrine/endocrine insufficiency, despite a higher postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) rate. Recently, the efficacy and safety of preoperative pancreatic stent placement before the EN have been demonstrated. Thus, a multicentre open-label study is being conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of stent placement in improving the outcome of EN of insulinomas in proximity to the main pancreatic duct.

This is a prospective, randomised, open-label, superiority clinical trial conducted at multiple tertiary centres in China. The major eligibility criterion is the presence of insulinoma located in the head and neck of the pancreas in proximity (≤2 mm) to the main pancreatic duct. Blocked randomisation will be performed to allocate patients into the stent EN group and the direct EN group. Patients in the stent EN group will go through stent placement by the endoscopist within 24 hours before the EN surgery, whereas other patients will receive EN surgery directly. The primary outcome is the assessment of the superiority of stent placement in reducing POPF rate measured by the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery standard. Both interventions will be performed in an inpatient setting and regular follow-up will be performed. The primary outcome (POPF rate) will be tested for superiority with the Χ2 test. The difference in secondary outcomes between the two groups will be analysed using appropriate tests.

The study has been approved by the Peking Union Medical College Hospital Institutional Review Board (K23C0195), Ruijin Hospital Ethics Committee (2023-314), Peking University First Hospital Ethics Committee (2024033-001), Institutional Review Board of Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University (2023223-002), Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU1AF2023LSK-473), Institutional Review Board of Tongji Medical College Tongji Hospital (TJ-IRB202402059), Ethics Committee of Tongji Medical College Union Hospital (2023-0929) and Shanghai Cancer Center Institutional Review Board (2309282-16). The results of the study will be published in an international peer-reviewed journal.

NCT05523778.

The incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) following enucleation is high, and prophylactic pancreaticojejunostomy (PPJ) is frequently performed. Minimally invasive enucleation (MEN) has been demonstrated to be safe and feasible, leaving most enucleation wounds exposed.

The clinical data of 40 patients who underwent open enucleation with PPJ at our center between 2012 and 2021 were compared with those of 80 patients who underwent MEN.

The MEN group had better outcomes than the PPJ group in terms of intraoperative bleeding (50.0 versus 100.0 mL), postoperative semi-liquid diet recovery (2.0 versus 5.0 days), and postoperative length of stay (7.7 versus 12.5 days). While the MEN group had higher rates of complex enucleation (60.0% versus 40.0%), main pancreatic duct repair (32.5% versus 10.0%), discharge with drains (48.8% versus 25.0%), and grade B POPFs (47.5% versus 17.5%). Both surgical methods effectively preserved pancreatic function; however, two patients in the PPJ group experienced severe haemorrhaging and died. Additionally, during the follow-up period, gastrointestinal bleeding was found and discomfort in the surgical area was reported.

Pancreatic enucleation combined with PPJ should be avoided, and although a biochemical or grade B POPF may develop after MEN, it can be compensated for by preserving pancreatic function and ensuring a good long-term quality of life in the patients.

Minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy has become a widely accepted procedure for tumors located in the pancreatic body or tail. However, pancreatic transection by linear stapler is generally avoided for pancreatic body tumors located above the portal vein because the surgical margin width is narrowed after taking into account the cutting allowance for insertion of the stapling device. Herein, we report a parenchymal clamp-crushing procedure that provides a sufficient surgical margin in pancreatic transection.

Two patients with suspected early pancreatic cancer underwent pancreatic transection using the clamp-crushing procedure. The planned pancreatic transection line was set just to the left of the gastroduodenal artery in both cases. Robotic and laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy were performed in 1 patient each. Patients were positioned supine with split legs. Parenchymal transection was performed with crushing by VIO 3 (ERBE Elektromedizin) operated in softCOAG Bipolar mode with Effect 2/modulation 50. After crushing, remnant tissue was cut in autoCUT Bipolar mode operated by VIO 3 with Effect 2/modulation 50, or cut after secured by clipping.

The surgical duration was 253 and 212 minutes, and estimated blood loss was 0 and 50 mL in the 2 patients, and both were discharged with uneventful courses. Pathologic examination confirmed a negative surgical margin in both patients.

Clamp-crushing pancreatic transection for distal pancreatectomy might be a suitable treatment option for achieving sufficient surgical margin in pancreatic body tumors located close to the portal vein.

Parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomy (PSP) or pancreas-sparing duodenectomy (PSD) is an alternative method for patients with benign or low-grade malignant tumours at the pancreatic head or duodenum. It avoids traumatic pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) with pancreatic function preservation and improves quality of life. However, few studies have reported on robotic PSP (RPSP) or robotic PSD (RPSD).

A retrospective analysis of 17 patients with benign and low-grade malignant pancreatic head and duodenal tumours who underwent RPSP or RPSD from January 2018 to February 2022 was conducted. The demographic, perioperative, and postoperative data of all patients were collected and analysed.

The operations were successful for all seventeen patients without conversion, including 10 cases of RPSP and 7 cases of RPSD. For RPSP, eight patients underwent pancreatic enucleation, and two patients underwent uncinate process resection. For RPSD, five patients underwent local duodenectomy, and two patients underwent segmental duodenectomy, with five simultaneous jejunostomies and two distal gastrectomies. The median OT and EBL were 135 min and 50 mL for RPSP and 220 min and 100 mL for RPSD, respectively. The median LOS was 8 days for RPSP and 19 days for RPSD. The main postoperative complications for RPSP included POPF (grade B, 6 cases), DGE (grade B, 1 case), PPH (1 case), and intra-abdominal infection (1 case). The main postoperative complications for RPSD included DGE (grade B, 1 case, grade C, 3 cases), postoperative haemorrhage (1 case), intra-abdominal infection (1 case), and duodenal fistula (1 case). One patient underwent interventional drain placement after RPSP because of POPF.

RPSP or RPSD is feasible for highly selected patients with benign and low-grade malignant pancreatic head and duodenal tumours, avoiding potential pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Tissue engineering is a highly interdisciplinary research field aiming at repairing, replacing, and regenerating the defective tissues. Over several decades of research, a variety of methods have been developed. The technical methods can be categorized into scaffold-based and scaffold-free strategies. In this mini review, the discussion will be focused on the technical methods of tissue engineering for kidney regeneration and construction.