Surgical experience with adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater

Between 1968 and 1982, 13 patients in this study had a pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), one patient had a total pancreatectomy, two had an ampullectomy, and one patient had a choledochoduodenostomy for neoplasia of the ampulla of Vater. The operative mortality was zero, and the 5-year actuarial survival rate for the 16 resected patients was 52.6 per cent. From a review of the literature, the authors evaluated 1,894 PDs and 61 ampullectomies. The operative mortality rate was 14 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively. The 5-year survival rate was 21 per cent for PD and 23 per cent for ampullectomy. However, 187 patients with negative lymph nodes who underwent PD had a 5-year survival rate of 39 per cent. PD resection is fully warranted for ampullary tumors. Ampullectomy should be reserved only for high surgical risk patients.