MECHANICAL CHARACTERISATION OF PANCREATIC TISSUE: PRELIMINARY IN-VITRO RESULTS

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth cause of death from cancer worldwide and surgical resection, when feasible, is the only curative treatment. Pancreatic fistula is a treacherous postoperative complication with a rate of 10-20%. Pancreatic fistula is strongly related to pancreatic parenchyma consistency and structure. There is a lack of knowledge about the mechanical and chemical properties of pancreatic tissue. Therefore, the aim of this project is to investigate the porcine pancreatic parenchyma characteristics towards the definition of a standardized method also suitable for human pancreas in order to obtain the needed parameters to build up a pancreas phantom, a device not yet available and fundamental to improve surgical techniques and training programs in this field of surgery.