CT characterization of retractor related liver injuries after pancreaticoduodenectomy: Retrospective analysis of a single institution experience.

PURPOSE

Retractor related liver injuries (RRLI) are reported after upper gastrointestinal tract surgeries; most commonly laparoscopic cholecystectomy and gastric surgeries. The aim of this study was to characterize the incidence, identification, type, severity, clinical features and risk factors for RRLI after open and robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy.

METHODS

A 6-year retrospective study of 230 patients was performed. Clinical data was extracted from the electronic medical record. Post-operative imaging was reviewed and graded using the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) liver injury scale.

RESULTS

109 patients met eligibility criteria. RRLI occurred in 23/109 (21.1%), with a higher incidence in the robotic/combinedapproach (4/9) compared with open (19/100). Most common injury was an intraparenchymal hematoma (56.5%), grade II (78.3%), located in segments II/III (77%). 39.1% of injuries were not reported on the CT interpretation. There was a statistically significant elevation of postoperative AST/ALT in the RRLI group [median AST 219.5 vs. 72.0 (p < 0.001), ALT 203.0 vs. 69.0 (p < 0.001)]. Trends toward lower preoperative platelet counts and longer operations were observed in the RRLI group. No significant difference in hospital length of stay or post-operative pain scores were noted.

CONCLUSION

RRLI occurred frequently after pancreaticoduodenectomy, however most injuries were low grade and the only clinical significance was a transient increase in transaminases. A trend toward higher injury rates was observed in robotic cases. In this population, RRLI was often unrecognized on postoperative imaging.