Palliative Treatment of Unresectable Pancreatic Carcinoma Presenting as Gastric Outlet Obstruction: What to Expect?

Abstract

Gastric outlet obstruction is a surgical emergency that presents with epigastric pain and intractable non-bilious vomiting. As per a recent literature review, theleading cause of gastric outlet obstruction is malignancy. This report presents a patient with grade two pancreatic adenocarcinoma who presented with gastric outlet obstruction symptoms: apotentially life-threatening complication of disease progression.The patient experienced severe epigastric pain and intractable projectile non-bilious vomiting.Computed Tomography confirmed the cause of severe pain and vomiting as gastric outlet obstruction. The patient was successfully managed with laparoscopic palliative gastro-jejunostomy and jejuno-jejunostomy. Here is the first case reported in the kingdom of Bahrain, where a patient with pancreatic cancer presented with symptoms of gastric outlet obstruction.The case report aimed to increaseawareness amongst health practitioners regarding the presentation of pancreatic cancer. Keywords: Adenocarcinoma; Gastric Outlet Obstruction; Jejunostomy; Laparoscopy; Pancreatic Carcinoma