Pancreatoduodenectomy with portal vein resection for pancreatic body cancer in a patient with situs inversus totalis.

BACKGROUND

Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare congenital condition characterized by complete transposition (right-to-left reversal) of the thoracic and abdominal organs. The estimated prevalence of SIT is 1 per 8000-25,000 live births [1]. Surgery for abdominal diseases in patients with SIT is technically demanding because of anatomical variations [2-4]; the importance of preoperative radiological assessment has been reported [4]. We report a case of SIT with complex vascular anomalies and pancreatic body cancer who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy with combined resection of the portal vein.

METHODS

A 79-year-old man with asymptomatic SIT was referred to our hospital for the treatment of pancreatic cancer that was incidentally found during a medical check-up. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a hypovascular tumor in the pancreatic body with a diameter of 32 mm involving the portal vein. He did not have SIT-associated diseases such as Kartagener syndrome or other malformations but had complex anomalies of vascular anatomy, especially in the hepatic arterial system, in addition to mirror-image transposition.

RESULTS

The operation was performed successfully with a full understanding of the vascular anatomy based on precise preoperative evaluation of CT images, including three-dimensional reconstruction images. The operative time was 710 min, and blood loss was 1237 mL. The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) pathological stage was Stage III (T2, N2, M0).

CONCLUSION

Pancreatoduodenectomy with portal vein resection for pancreatic cancer in patients with SIT is a complex procedure. Precise preoperative assessment of CT images with three-dimensional reconstruction is crucial to understanding vascular anatomy and safely performing surgery.