Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy: Educating surgeons about advanced laparoscopic surgery

Area of Science:

• Surgical Oncology
• Minimally Invasive Surgery

Background:

• Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (Lap-DP) is a globally recognized, beneficial surgical procedure.
• Assessing the safety of Lap-DP implementation by training surgeons is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and perioperative outcomes of Lap-DP performed by surgeons in training compared to an expert surgeon.
• To determine if established Lap-DP techniques are being safely adopted by new surgeons.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective comparison of perioperative outcomes between an expert surgeon group (n=47) and a training surgeons group (n=53) for Lap-DP.
• Analysis included operating times, blood loss, complication rates (e.g., pancreatic fistulas), and hospital stay.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in operating times or pancreatic fistula rates between groups.
• Training surgeons showed significantly less blood loss (100 mL vs. 280 mL) but a longer median hospital stay (13 vs. 10 days).
• Comparable rates for combined operations, spleen preservation, hand-assistance, and conversion to open surgery were observed.

Conclusions:

• Teaching safe Lap-DP techniques to surgeons results in stable and comparable perioperative outcomes.
• The study supports the safe implementation of Lap-DP by surgeons undergoing training.