Does a Pancreatic Stent Reduce the Healing Time of Post Operative Pancreatic Fistula (POPF) After Distal Pancreatic Resection - an Open Randomized Clinical Multicenter Trial

Dividing pancreas when performing left-sided resections opens the risk for leakage from the divided end of the pancreas. Pancreatic juices could have a severe effect on surrounding abdominal tissues with abscess formation producing systemic inflammation and potential lethal bleeding. Proper drainage of pancreatic juices is the primary treatment. Effective drainage reduces healing time. A pancreatic stent could theoretically improve the drainage of pancreatic juice into the duodenum and by this shorten the healing time still further.

Pre operative prophylactic stenting of the pancreas before division of the parenchyma has not shown a positive effect on fistula formation.

In an open randomized multicenter clinical trial we want to test the hypothesis that a reduced fistula healing time, in left sided pancreatic resections, could be reduced by introducing a pancreatic stent when on post operative day 3 or later a B och C fistula (according to the International Study Group on Pancreatic Fistula, ISGPF) is diagnosed by randomizing between pancreatic stent with drains versus only drains.