Prosthetic graft for superior mesenteric-portal vein reconstruction in pancreaticoduodenectomy: a retrospective, multicenter study

The use of prosthetic grafts for superior mesenteric-portal vein reconstruction (SMPVR) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) with venous resection remains controversial. We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) interposition grafts for SMPVR after PD. We identified 76 patients who underwent PD with segmental vein resection for pancreatic head and periampullary neoplasms at three centers between January 2007 and June 2012. The venous reconstruction technique depended on the length of venous involvement. Forty-two and 34 patients underwent SMPVR with primary anastomosis and SMPVR with PTFE interposition grafts, respectively. The postoperative morbidity, mortality, and patency were compared. For the patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (n = 65), survival was compared between the SMPVR with primary anastomosis (n = 36) and SMPVR with PTFE interposition graft groups (n = 29). Patients undergoing SMPVR with PTFE grafts had larger tumor sizes (3.4 ± 0.9 cm, 2.9 ± 0.9 cm, P = 0.016), longer operative durations (492.9 ± 107.5 min, 408.8 ± 78.8 min, P