Safety and efficacy of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy for the treatment of pancreatic disease

Background/purpose There are a few reports of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy in the literature. We describe our experience with laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy and evaluate the safety and efficacy of the procedure in light of other reported findings. Methods A retrospective study was performed of all patients who underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy between April 1996 and December 2002 at Oita University Faculty of Medicine. Results Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy was attempted in seven patients (three men and four women) with a mean age of 65 years. One patient was converted to open surgery, and two patients required a hand‐assistance procedure. There were no complications in any patients. Median operation time for all seven patients was 300 min, and median blood loss was 330 ml. Median postoperative hospital stay was 12 days (range, 7 to 21 days). Conclusions Our limited results, together with reported outcomes, suggest that laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy is safe and effective for selected patients. The potential advantages of this procedure include reduced morbidity and reduced hospital stay.