Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and advantages of extensive distal pancreatectomy (ExDP).
Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed our experience in 24 patients, who underwent ExDP or total pancreatectomy (TP) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer (22 patients) or benign tumor (two patients).
Results: ExDP was associated with less blood loss (p=0.0189), shorter operative times (p=0.024), lower rates of worsening of diabetes mellitus (p<0.0001), and shorter hospital stays (p=0.0009) than TP. ExDP also had a lower complication rate than TP (1/11 cases versus 4/13 cases), but this was not a significant difference. There was no difference in the curative resection rate for pancreatic cancer between the two procedures (p=0.685).
Conclusion: ExDP is a feasible and function-preserving operation for the treatment of pancreatic tumors in the body of the pancreas near the portal vein.