PANCREATICODUODENECTOMY IN AMPULLARY CARC INOMA

Objective. To analyze clinical characteristics, diagnostic methods, in traoperative findings, morbimortality and outcome of a series of patie nts with ampullary adenocarcinoma. Design. Retrospective analysis. Set ting. Tertiary-care medical center. Patients. Thirty four consecutive patients who underwent radical resection between 1960 and 1992. Result s. The most frequent findings were jaundice (91%), weight loss (44%) a nd palpable gallbladder (42%). Thirty-three patients (97%) underwent W hipple resection and one total pancreatectomy (3%). The postoperative mortality was 15%. Overall survival at 1, 5, 10 and 14 years was 67, 3 6, 25 and 17% respectively. Fourteen patients died of tumor recurrence developed more than five years after the resection. Conclusion. Radic al resection for ampullary carcinoma remains the procedure of first ch oice in these patients.