Minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy: mapping surgical maneuvers towards operative standardization

To analyze the minimally invasive surgical maneuvers currently performed to remove pancreatic tail, with or without preservation of the spleen, for benign and borderline malignant neoplasms.

We described operative steps and technical pitfalls encountered during laparoscopic and robotic distal pancreatectomy. The methodology of research focused on recruitment of evidence-based surgical strategies and critical analysis of modern minimally invasive techniques.

Laparoscopic and robotic distal pancreatectomy have gradually accepted by pancreatic surgeons and clinical evidences document its growing interest. The choice of patient positioning, port placement, surgical dissection and operative techniques used for pancreatic parenchymal transection is not codified and changes according to personal preference. The technical variability in minimally invasive approach to pancreatic surgery strongly depends depends on surgeon's training and to limited application of these procedures in single institutions.

Pancreatic surgeons worldwide accept laparoscopic and robotic distal pancreatectomy but the best intraoperative praxis is not defined in clinical routine. To date, the pancreatic resection adopts hybrid techniques and the conduction of minimally invasive resection depends to surgeon's experience, patient body habitus and location of pancreatic lesion. Although several technical variations have described, no standardization of the operative minimally invasive surgical method is convincingly built.

Laparoscopy, Minimally invasive surgery, Pancreas, Robotic pancreatectomy.