The biliopancreatic crossroads is the site of several pathologies, including neoplasia.

Objective: To study the epidemiological, diagnostic, therapeutic and evolutionary characteristics of tumours of the biliopancreatic junction in the digestive surgery department of the Brazzaville University Hospital.

Patients and method: This was a descriptive study with retrospective data collection which took place in the digestive surgery department of the Brazzaville University Hospital during the period from January 2020 to December 2023, i.e. 4 years. We included all patients with tumours of the bilio-pancreatic junction treated in the digestive surgery department during the study period. The study variables were socio-demographic, diagnostic, therapeutic and evolutionary. Data were collected and analysed using Excel 2016 software.

Results: During the study period, we recorded 28 patients out of 2972, i.e. a frequency of 0.94%. There were 17 men and 11 women (sex ratio 1.54). The mean age was 59.71 ± 12.49 years (extremes: 41 and 83 years), with the 60-69 age group the most represented. The predominant clinical sign was cholestatic jaundice. Biologically, all patients had biological cholestasis. Abdominal CT scans showed 23 tumours of the head of the pancreas (74.19%), 4 tumours of the ampulla of Vater (12.91%), 2 tumours of the lower bile duct (6.45%) and 2 tumours of the second duodenum (6.45%). Therapeutically, 14 patients underwent mainly palliative surgery: 3 external biliary drains (a Kehr drain placed in the main bile duct) and 11 biliary-digestive shunts (hepatico-jejunal anastomoses (5 cases) and choledocho-jejunal anastomoses (6 cases), with a gastroentero-anastomosis in all patients). Eight patients were not operable, four patients did not consent to palliative surgery and two patients were lost to follow-up before surgery. Post-operative management was straightforward in 10 patients, 3 patients died and one patient developed a medically treated biliary fistula with a favourable outcome.