Effect of Jejunostomy Feeding Tube Placement on Complications and Outcome of Pancreaticoduodenectomy Procedures.

The aim of this study was to compare the perioperative outcomes and complications between pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) candidates with and without jejunostomy tube (J-tube) feeding. This retrospective cohort study was performed on 48 patient candidates for PD, with or without J-tube placement during surgery, in Shahid Modarres Hospital, Tehran, Iran, between 2013 and 2021. Two groups were matched for age, gender, history of heart, endocrine, hypertension and kidney diseases, and drug use. A 12 French jejunal feeding tube was placed at 20-30 cm distal to gastrojejunostomy anastomosis. Outcomes, including biliary leak, postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), delayed gastric emptying (DGE), surgical site infection (SSI), intra-abdominal infection, duration of nasogastric tube (NGT) stay, postoperative (PO) tolerance length, need for total parenteral nutrition (TPN), hospitalization length, and mortality rate, were assessed. There were eight cases with leak (37.5% J-tube group, of which six (75%) were pancreatic type and two (25%) biliary type. There were 11 (22.9%) patients with DGE (54.5% in J-tube group). There was no significant inter-group difference in SSI (P=0.340), intra-abdominal infection managed non-invasively (P=0.369), intra-abdominal abscess managed by percutaneous drainage (P=0.158), patients requiring TPN (P=0.447), NGT placement duration (P=0.088), PO tolerance time (P=0.327), hospital stay (P=0.760) and mortality rate (P=0.851). J-tube placement after PD for pancreatic cancer may be associated with increased postoperative complications. The conclusion of the present study is that there is no difference between performing and not performing the J-tube placement method in terms of complications and consequences.