Pancreaticogastrostomy is associated with significantly less pancreatic fistula than pancreaticojejunostomy reconstruction after pancreaticoduodenectomy: a meta‐analysis of seven randomized controlled trials

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to compare pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) with pancreaticogastrostomy (PG) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Methods A literature search of PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for studies comparing PJ with PG after PD was conducted. The primary outcome for meta‐analysis was pancreatic fistula. Secondary outcomes were morbidity, mortality, biliary fistula, intra‐abdominal fluid collection, hospital length of stay (LoS), postoperative haemorrhage and reoperation. Outcome measures were odds ratios (ORs) and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Seven recent RCTs encompassing 1121 patients (559 PJ and 562 PG cases) were involved in this meta‐analysis. Incidences of pancreatic fistula (10.6% versus 18.5%; OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.37–0.74; P = 0.0002), biliary fistula (2.3% versus 5.7%; OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.03–3.15; P = 0.03) and intra‐abdominal fluid collection (8.0% versus 14.7%; OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.34–0.74; P = 0.0005) were significantly lower in the PG than the PJ group, as was hospital LoS (weighted mean difference: −1.85, 95% CI −3.23 to −0.47; P = 0.008). Subgroup analysis indicated that severe pancreatic fistula (grades B or C) occurred less frequently in the PG than the PJ group (8.3% versus 20.5%; OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.23–0.59; P < 0.00001). However, there was no significant difference in morbidity (48.9% versus 51.0%; OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.70–1.16; P = 0.41), mortality (3.2% versus 3.5%; OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.43–1.58; P = 0.56), delayed gastric emptying (16.6% versus 14.7%; relative risk: 1.02, 95% CI 0.62–1.68; P = 0.94), postoperative haemorrhage (9.6% versus 11.1%; OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.54–1.24; P = 0.35) or reoperation (9.9% versus 9.8%; OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.60–1.43; P = 0.73). Conclusions Pancreaticogastrostomy provides benefits over PJ after PD, including in the incidences of pancreatic fistula, biliary fistula and intra‐abdominal fluid collection and in hospital LoS. Therefore, PG is recommended as a safer and more reasonable alternative to PJ reconstruction after PD.