Pancreaticogastrostomy in pancreaticoduodenal resection for ampullary carcinoma: experience in thirty-one cases.

Pancreaticoduodenal resection was performed in 31 patients with carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. Pancreaticogastrostomy was done for pancreatic reconstruction. Truncal vagotomy and cholicystectomy were done in all patients. Two postoperative deaths occurred. There were no pancreatic leaks. The patients who had pancreatic or lymph node infiltration on histopathologic examination of the specimens did poorly and died within 2 years while those with localized ampullary carcinoma did very well. The overall 5-year survival rate for ampullary carcinoma is 50%.