Proposal for a Pancreatic Configuration Index for Determining Patients at High Risk of Pancreatic Fistula Following Pancreatoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The pancreatic configuration is one of the most important factors that have an impact on the incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). This study sought to propose a new index, called the pancreatic configuration index (PCI), to categorize patients at a high risk for POPF.

METHODS

Two hundred and thirty-one patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomies were subjected to the analysis. The pancreatic parenchymal thickness and the main pancreatic duct (MPD) diameter at the pancreatic neck were measured using axial computed tomography scan images. The PCI was calculated by dividing the axial thickness by the MPD diameter.

RESULTS

Sixty-two of the patients (26.8%) developed clinically significant POPF. Using a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cut-off value of the PCI in predicting POPF was 5.3. The incidence of POFP increased depending on the PCI level. Using a multivariate analysis that included the various risk factors of POPF, a high PIC (≥5) was identified as an independent risk factor of POPF, with the highest OR at 6.50.

CONCLUSION

The PCI is useful for stratifying patients at a high risk for POPFs. This index may be used to classify the patient population when evaluating other risk factors for POPF.