Advanced-stage gastrointestinal
tumors are aggressive and frequently invade blood vessels. Advances in endovascular surgery can repair blood vessels that may be infiltrated by a
tumor. Currently there are many materials to do this, as the use of
prostheses or implants and patches. In Mexico, the bovine pericardium preserved with
glutaraldehyde has been used to treat incisional, inguinal, and
diaphragmatic hernias and repair vascular defects with good results, low cost, and no
allergic reaction from the patient. We report the case of a 47-year-old man, with a history of smoking and
alcoholism, diagnosed with pancreatic
adenocarcinoma. The
tumor, with the use of endoscopic ultrasound, showed direct contact with the portal vein without invading the confluence of the mesenteric vein. During exploratory
laparotomy, a
tumor attached to the head of the pancreas of 4 cm × 4 cm was found, with
tumor invasion of 1 cm × 2 cm on the outer sidewall of the portal vein. We performed pylorus-preserving
pancreatoduodenectomy and
tumor resection of the portal vein wall with placement of
glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium patch to repair it. The intraoperative and immediate postoperative period arose without complications. The patient was discharged with good result and is currently under surveillance. We report this case to show a successful result using
glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium to close vascular defects after resection of the
tumor secondary to vascular invasion.