Does modified Blumgart anastomosis without intra-pancreatic ductal stenting reduce post-operative pancreatic fistula after pancreaticojejunostomy?

Summary: Background: Post-operative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is one of the most common and serious complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). The aim of this study is to retrospectively compare clinically relevant (CR) POPF and other complications after pacreaticojejunostomy (PJ) after modified Kakita (m-Kakita) or modified Blumgart (m-Blumgart) anastomoses without stenting in a single institution. Methods: One hundred twenty-eight patients underwent PJ using m-Kakita anastomoses (two interrupted penetrating sutures) between January 2009 and December 2011. One hundred eighteen patients underwent m-Blumgart anastomoses (two transpancreatic/jejunal seromuscular sutures to cover the pancreatic stump with jejunal serosa) between January 2014 and December 2015. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and post-operative mortality and morbidity were retrospectively compared between the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences in demographics or clinical characteristics between the two groups except operative time. A significantly lower rate of CR-POPF was found in the m-Blumgart group relative to the m-Kakita group (10% vs. 19%, p = 0.038). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the m-Blumgart anastomosis and fistula risk category (Negligible, Low) were independently protective against CR-POPF (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This retrospective single-center study demonstrated that the modified Blumgart method without pancreatic duct stenting was associated with a lower rate of CR-POPF. Keywords: Clinically relevant pancreatic fistula, Pancreaticoduodenectomy, Blumgart anastomosis, Morbidity, Mortalit

Child Developmental MRI (CDM) project: protocol for a multi-centre, cross-sectional study on elucidating the pathophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder through a multi-dimensional approach

Introduction Neuroimaging studies on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have demonstrated differences in extensive brain structure, activity and network. However, there remains heterogeneity and inconsistency across these findings, presumably because of the diversity of the disorders themselves, small sample sizes, and site and parameter differences in MRI scanners, and their overall pathogenesis remains unclear. To address these gaps in the literature, we will apply the travelling-subject approach to correct site differences in MRI scanners and clarify brain structure and network characteristics of children with ADHD and ASD using large samples collected in a multi-centre collaboration. In addition, we will investigate the relationship between these characteristics and genetic, epigenetic, biochemical markers, and behavioural and psychological measures.Methods and analysis We will collect resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) and T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted MRI data from 15 healthy adults as travelling subjects and 300 children (ADHD, n=100; ASD, n=100; and typical development, n=100) with multi-dimensional assessments. We will also apply data from more than 1000 samples acquired in our previous neuroimaging studies on ADHD and ASD.Ethics and dissemination The study protocol has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Fukui Hospital (approval no: 20220601). Our study findings will be submitted to scientific peer-reviewed journals and conferences