Endoscopic Versus Surgical Ampullectomy: an Algorithm to Treat Disease of the Ampulla of Vater

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness, morbidity, and mortality associated with endoscopic ampullectomy (EA) and surgical ampullectomy (SA).

Background: The proposed management of benign ampullary lesions includes local resection (EA or SA) and en bloc resection (pancreaticoduodenectomy). Most agree that en bloc resection entails a significant morbidity and mortality. No study has previously compared EA and SA for the treatment of benign ampullary lesions.

Methods: Medical records of patients selected for ampullectomy at Duke University Medical Center from 1991 to 2010 were reviewed.

Results: After review, 109 patients were confirmed to have undergone ampullectomy for a suspected benign ampullary lesion. Sixty-eight patients underwent EA, whereas 41 patients underwent SA. Patients in each group were identical in terms of age, sex, race, and comorbid conditions, except that EA had a higher rate of severe obesity (body mass index >35). Endoscopic ampullectomy was found to have a significantly reduced length of stay, lower morbidity, and readmission rates, but it had similar rates of mortality, margin-positive excisions, and reinterventions.

Conclusions: In patients selected for ampullectomy for benign ampullary lesions, EA was found to have equivalent efficacy when compared with SA. Moreover, EA had lower morbidity and identical mortality. These findings suggest that patients would likely benefit from an aggressive endoscopic approach before consideration for surgery.