The "Tube Submarine Technique": a safe and easy technique to place an external drainage tube during hepaticojejunostomy in minimally invasive surgery.

PURPOSE: Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is a standard procedure for various pancreatic head lesions. Recently, minimally invasive surgery (MIS), including laparoscopic PD (LPD) or robotic PD (RPD), has been widely performed. The hepaticojejunostomy (HJ) technique in MIS is more difficult than that in open procedures, and the placement of an external drainage tube (EDT) is not common in MIS owing to its complicated procedure. Here, we demonstrate the "Tube Submarine Technique" (TST) to facilitate EDT placement without hampering the anastomotic maneuver in MIS.

METHODS: After resection of the MIS-PD, the jejunal stump was extracted from the umbilical incision, and a small jejunostomy was performed. A retrograde insertion of the EDT was carried out from this hole towards the jejunal stump. A 4-0 suture was applied through the tip and neighboring side hole, and ligated with a margin of approximately 1-2 cm without needle release. The needle was passed through the anterior jejunal limb wall from the inside to the outside, and the tube was placed into the jejunal limb like a submarine and fixed to the anterior inside wall. After posterior wall suturing during HJ in MIS, the tube-fixing suture was cut immediately below the knot, the tube-like surface of the submarine was pulled up from the jejunal hole and inserted into the bile duct.

RESULTS: The procedure of tube fixation inside the jejunal limb and tube surfacing was safe and easy with no complications.

CONCLUSION: The TST can significantly help in the placement of an EDT in MIS.