Tips on laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy

An increasing number of laparoscopic pancreatic procedures are currently carried out worldwide. Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) appears to be technically and oncologically promising in selected patients with benign tumors and low-grade malignancies of the pancreatic body/tail, and is now widely adopted. Here, we described our standard procedures of LDP and some tips on LDP. Recent important insights into some variations/options of LDP including spleen preservation, hand-assisted procedure, and single-incision surgery are also reviewed in this article.