Laparoscopic common hepatic artery ligation and staging followed by distal pancreatectomy with en bloc resection of celiac artery for advanced pancreatic cancer.

INTRODUCTION

Adeno-carcinomas of pancreatic body are usually asymptomatic and progress to advanced stage with involvement of major arteries. Resection of advanced cancer along with en bloc resection of a common hepatic artery and celiac trunk enables a "curative" resections and only possible treatment. However, the celiac axis resection always has a risk of compromising blood supply to liver, resulting in the hepatic insufficiency. We evaluated practicability of a two-stage procedure for the advanced pancreases body cancer, laparoscopic clamping of a common hepatic artery followed by open distal pancreatectomy with en bloc celiac arterial resection to prevent the hepatic insufficiency.

MATERIALS AND SURGICAL TECHNIQUE

Seventy-five-year-old woman diagnosed with a 50-mm pancreatic body mass, invading splenic artery, common hepatic artery, splenic vein, and portal vein at the confluence. STAGE-1: At laparoscopy, after confirming absence of the peritoneal, superficial liver metastases and negative peritoneal cytology; we approached the common hepatic artery through the lesser sac and ligated. STAGE-2: Her liver function tests were normal after 2 weeks, and CT angiography showed complete blockage of the common hepatic artery with sufficient collateral circulation to the liver through inferior pancreatico-duodenal artery and gastro-duodenal artery. We performed an open distal pancreatectomy with en bloc resection of celiac artery. Histopathology examination confirmed R0 resection.

DISCUSSION

The celiac axis resection with distal pancreatectomy improves the chance of R0 resection and potentially, survival of the patient. Preoperative laparoscopic ligation of the common hepatic artery is a safe, effective, and in-expensive technique to prevent postoperative hepatic insufficiency and improves the safety of en bloc celiac artery resection with a distal pancreatectomy. Also these patients have high risk of peritoneal dissemination. Diagnostic laparoscopy is useful to detect occult metastasis, which are missed by per-operative CT scan.