THE USE OF XENOPERICARDIUM FOR THE PORTAL VEIN REPLACEMENT
The damage of the portal or superior mesenteric vein during pancreatic resection procedure is known to be a big problem for a surgeon. In this situation, applying the end-to-end anastomosis is the best option. Otherwise, if the defect is large, the vein needs to be resected and various options of its replacement are required. Currently many variants of replacement are proposed using both synthetic and autologous prostheses. In this article we would like to describe our successful experience of replacing the portal vein using the porcine pericardium, made in the surgical hepatology department of Vitebsk regional clinical hospital.