Background: Although laparoscopic surgery is now extensively used, laparoscopic middle pancreatectomy (LMP) has rarely been described.
Study design and methods: A 45-year-old woman was diagnosed with branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia (IPMN) at the pancreatic neck, which was discovered after numerous attacks of acute pancreatitis. LMP was decided on for treatment.
Results: The patient underwent pure LMP with right to left dissection and one-layer pancreatogastric anastomosis. Surgery lasted 160 minutes, with 20 mL of blood loss. A frozen section showed negative margins on both sides. The postoperative course was uneventful with 15 days in the hospital. Histology confirmed the diagnosis of branch duct IPMN with moderate dysplasia and negative margins. The patient is symptom free 6 months after surgery.
Conclusions: Our results and the data in the literature suggest that the laparoscopic approach is indicated for middle pancreatectomy because there are no technical or oncological contraindications and the outcome is similar to that with the open approach.