PURPOSE: Longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy is a treatment option for selected patients with chronic obstructive pancreatitis that is rarely performed laparoscopically. METHODS: A 54-year-old man presented with chronic postprandial abdominal pain. A computed tomography scan revealed multiple calcified stones at the pancreatic head and tail with marked dilation of the pancreatic duct (0.8 cm in diameter). The patient underwent laparoscopic longitudinal pancreticojejunostomy. Impacted stones were removed and Roux-en-Y pancreaticojejunostomy was performed using an intracorporeal suture technique in a longitudinal side-to-side manner. RESULTS: The total operation time and estimated blood loss were 150 min and 50 ml, respectively. The patient tolerated a regular diet without postprandial abdominal pain. Postoperative recovery was uneventful and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 5 in good condition. He returned to work on postoperative day 9. CONCLUSION: Longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy might be an effective option for relief of chronic pain in treating chronic obstructive pancreatitis.
Abdominal Pain ; Chronic Pain ; Diet ; Head ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreaticojejunostomy* ; Pancreatitis* ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Suture Techniques ; Tail

Robotic central pancreatectomy has not been widely performed because of its rare indications, technical difficulties, and concern about the high complication rate. We reviewed six robotic central pancreatectomy cases between May 2016 and June 2021 at a single institution. This multimedia article aims to introduce our technique of robotic central pancreatectomy with perioperative and follow-up outcomes. All patients experienced biochemical leakage of postoperative pancreatic fistula, except in one with a grade B pancreatic fistula, which resulted in a pseudocyst formation and was successfully managed by endoscopic internal drainage. All patients achieved completely negative resection margins. There was no new-onset diabetes mellitus or recurrence during the median follow-up period of 13.5 months (range, 10–74 months). With an acceptable complication rate and the preservation of pancreatic function, robotic central pancreatectomy could be a good surgical option for patients with benign and borderline malignant tumors of the pancreatic neck or proximal body.

The laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD), introduced by Gagner and Pomp in 1994, is typically done in high-volume centers due to its technical demands. Our methods aim to provide effective traction, enabling efficient surgery despite limited staffing. A retrospective analysis of 29 patients undergoing LPD by a single surgeon between September 2021 and December 2022 showed promising outcomes: median intraoperative bleeding of 425 mL, operation time of 505 minutes, and postoperative hospital stay of 10 days. With only one case requiring open conversion, our external retraction techniques demonstrate efficacy in overcoming challenges associated with manpower constraints, highlighting potential utility for surgeons in similar settings. We share LPD external retraction techniques and outcomes.

Mycobacterium longobardum is a slow-growing, nontuberculous mycobacterium that was first characterized from the M. terrae complex in 2012. We report a case of M. longobardum induced chronic osteomyelitis. A 71-yr-old man presented with inflammation in the left elbow and he underwent a surgery under the suspicion of tuberculous osteomyelitis. The pathologic tissue culture grew M. longobardum which was identified by analysis of the 65-kDa heat shock protein and full-length 16S rRNA genes. The patient was cured with the medication of clarithromycin and ethambutol without further complications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a M. longobardum infection worldwide.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics ; Chaperonin 60/genetics ; Clarithromycin/therapeutic use ; Elbow/pathology ; Ethambutol/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous/*microbiology ; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria/classification/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Osteomyelitis/diagnosis/drug therapy/*microbiology/pathology ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Treatment Outcome

Purpose: Despite the increasing number of robotic pancreaticoduodenectomies, laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) and LPD with robotic reconstruction (LPD-RR) are still valuable surgical options for minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (MIPD). This study introduces the surgical techniques, tips, and outcomes of our experience with LPD and LPD-RR. Methods: Between March 2014 and July 2021, 122 and 48 patients underwent LPD and LPDRR respectively, at CHA Bundang Medical Center in Korea. The operative settings, procedures, and trocar placements were identical in both approaches; however, different trocars were used. We introduced our techniques of retraction methods for Kocherization and uncinate process dissection, pancreatic reconstruction, pancreatic division, and protection using the round ligament. The perioperative surgical outcomes of LPD and LPD-RR were compared. Results: Baseline demographics of patients in the LPD and LPD-RR groups were comparable, but the LPD group had older age (65.5 ± 11.6 years vs. 60.0 ± 14.1 years, p = 0.009) and lesser preoperative chemotherapy (15.6% vs. 35.4%, p = 0.008). The proportion of malignant disease was similar (LPD group, 86.1% vs. LPD-RR group, 83.3%; p = 0.759). Perioperative outcomes were also comparable, including operative time, estimated blood loss, clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (LPD group, 9.0% vs. LPD-RR group, 10.4%; p = 0.684), and major postoperative complication rates (LPD group, 14.8% vs. LPD-RR group, 6.2%; p = 0.082). Conclusion Both LPD and LPR-RR can be safely performed by experienced surgeons with acceptable surgical outcomes. Further investigations are required to evaluate the objective benefits of robotic surgical systems in MIPD and establish widely acceptable standardized MIPD techniques.