Table 2.

Mean levels of blood cell populations of patients in the DPS and SPDP groups

Blood cell populations	Time points
	Preoperative (n = 302)	POD1 (n = 301)	POD3 (n = 284)	POD5 (n = 247)	POD7 (n = 193)	POW2 (n = 111)	POM1 (n = 120)	POM3 (n = 143)
WBCs (109/L)
DPS	5.82	16.58**	15.44**	10.41**	10.23**	8.23**	7.23**	7.51**
SPDP	5.64	12.51**	10.23**	7.35**	7.59**	7.31**	6.62**	6.26**
Neutrophils (109/L)
DPS	3.50	14.19**	12.74**	7.58**	7.32**	5.39**	3.96*	3.99**
SPDP	3.30	10.54**	8.21**	5.27*	5.31*	5.01	4.00**	3.92**
Lymphocytes (109/L)
DPS	1.75	1.26**	1.39**	1.49**	1.62**	1.84	2.50**	2.85**
SPDP	1.77	1.20**	1.25**	1.30**	1.46**	1.59	2.09*	1.89
Monocytes (109/L)
DPS	0.32	1.09**	1.07**	0.95**	0.95**	0.65**	0.50**	0.47**
SPDP	0.32	0.74**	0.67**	0.55**	0.59**	0.50**	0.37*	0.33
Eosinophils (109/L)
DPS	0.14	0.01**	0.12*	0.32**	0.32**	0.25**	0.21**	0.14
SPDP	0.13	0.01**	0.08**	0.18**	0.18**	0.16**	0.13	0.10**
Basophils (109/L)
DPS	0.028	0.022**	0.032**	0.040**	0.042**	0.049**	0.050**	0.048**
SPDP	0.025	0.016**	0.022	0.021*	0.022	0.030	0.030	0.027
Platelets (109/L)
DPS	213	210	233**	328**	442**	581**	410**	356**
SPDP	228	212**	194**	219*	261**	355**	238	217
RBC (1012/L)
DPS	4.46	4.04**	3.68**	3.68**	3.84**	3.91**	4.29**	4.53
SPDP	4.48	4.11**	3.75**	3.74**	3.77**	4.05**	4.35	4.56
Serum hemoglobin (g/L)
DPS	135	123**	112**	112**	116**	117**	127**	138
SPDP	135	125**	114**	113**	113**	121**	129*	136

DPS distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, SPDP spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy, POD postoperative day, POW postoperative week, POM postoperative month, WBC white blood cell, RBC red blood cell

*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, using paired t test comparing postoperative time points with the preoperative level within the DPS group and the SPDP group separately