Digestive tract reconstruction in pancreaticoduodenectomy in University Hospitals of China: a national questionnaire survey

Background: Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) has been widely applied in general hospitals in China; however, there is still a lack of unified standards for each surgical technique and procedure. This survey is intended to investigate the current status of digestive tract reconstruction after PD in university hospitals in China. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the members of the Young Elite Pancreatic Surgery Club of China by using the Questionnaire for Digestive Tract Reconstruction after Pancreaticoduodenectomy. The questionnaire was disseminated and collected by point-to-point communication via WeChat public platforms. Results: A total of 73 valid questionnaires were returned from 65 university hospitals in 28 provincial divisions of mainland China. The respondents who performed PD surgery with an annual volume of over 100 cases accounted for 63%. Generally, laparoscopic PD was performed less often than open PD. Child and Whipple reconstructions accounted for 70% and 26%, respectively. The sequence of pancreatoenteric, biliary-enteric, and gastrointestinal reconstruction accounted for 84% of cases. In pancreatoenteric anastomosis, double-layer anastomosis is the most commonly employed type, accounting for approximately 67%, while single-layer anastomosis accounts for 30%. Of the double-layer anastomoses, duct-to-mucosa/dunking (94%/4%) pancreatojejunostomy was performed with duct-mucosa using the Blumgart method (39%) and Cattel-Warren (29%), with continuous/interrupted sutures in the inner layer (69%/31%) and continuous/interrupted sutures in the outer layer (53%/23%). In single-layer anastomosis, continuous/interrupted sutures accounted for 41%/45%. In hepatojejunostomy, single-layer/double-layer suture accounted for 79%/4%, and continuous/interrupted suture accounted for 75%/9%. Forty-six percent of the responding units had not applied double-layer biliary-intestinal anastomosis in the last 3 years, 75% of the responding surgeons chose the anastomosis method according to bile duct diameter, with absorbable/non-absorbable suture accounting for 86%/12%. PD/pylorus-preserving PD accounted for 79%/11% of gastrojejunostomy (GJ) cases, the distance between GJ and hepaticojejunostomy < 30, 30–50, and > 50 cm were 11%, 75%, and 14%, respectively. Antecolic/retrocolic GJ accounted for 71%/23% of cases. Twenty-two percent of GJ cases employed Braun anastomosis, while 55% and 19% of GJ cases used linear cutting staplers/tube-type staplers, respectively; 60%/14% were reinforced/not reinforced via manual suturing after stapler anastomosis. Manual anastomosis in GJ surgery employed absorbable/non-absorbable sutures (91%/9%). Significant differences in reconstruction techniques were detected between different volumes of PD procedures (<100/year and >100/year), regions with different economic development levels, and between north and south China. Conclusion: Digestive tract reconstruction following PD exists heterogeneity in Chinese university hospitals. Corresponding prospective clinical studies are needed to determine the consensus on pancreatic surgery that meets the clinical reality in China.