Background: Laparoscopic pancreatic surgery is performed with increasing frequency, but laparoscopic middle pancreatectomy (LMP) is rarely described. This study aimed retrospectively to describe the authors' unicentrically and prospectively collected data at a specialized center.
Methods: Since July 2011, 13 patients have undergone LMP. In this study, all their demographics and operative and postoperative data were studied from a prospectively maintained database.
Results: The study included eight women and five men with a mean age of 51 (range 27-75 years) and a body mass index of 26 kg/m(2) (range 22-32 kg/m(2)). The main indications were neuroendocrine tumor (n = 7), intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia (n = 2), solid pseudopapillary tumor (n = 2), and other (n = 2). The median duration of surgery was 190 min (range 120-285 min), and the mean blood loss was 100 ml (range 50-800 ml). Only one conversion was performed (8 %). The postoperative outcomes showed no mortality. Clinically significant pancreatic fistula (B and C) were found in 30 % of the cases. Bleeding was observed in two patients (15 %) and reintervention in three patients (23 %). The median hospital stay was 24 days (range 14-53 days), with no readmissions. The long-term follow-up evaluation showed no endocrine insufficiency and only one endocrine insufficiency (8 %).
Conclusions: LMP is a safe surgical procedure allowing a minimally invasive approach for low malignant-potential lesions and offering a postoperative outcome comparable with that of the open approach.