Postoperative Comput Tomography as a Predictor of Postoperative Complications After Pancreatic Surgery

Pancreatectomy represents the classic approach for resectable lesions of the pancreas, duodenum and periampullary region. Due to the technical skills required, the complex anatomy and the extreme fragility of the pancreatic parenchyma, pancreatic resection is still considered to be at risk of postoperative complication mainly due to pancreatic juice leaks. Anastomotic leaks are the major cause of morbidity and in-hospital mortality due to the activation of pancreatic enzymes and the following infectious and hemorrhagic complications. Severe complications negatively affect postoperative outcomes, long-term survival, quality of life, and costs. Operative mortality traditionally has been defined as the rate within 30 days or during the initial hospitalization. But in pancreatic surgery mortality rates within 90 days after pancreatic resection are double those at 30 days. In the present study, the investigators sought to evaluate the usefulness of postoperative CT-scan on the seventh postoperative day before discharging the patients to detect undiagnosed postoperative complication.