Application of intraoperative navigation in 3D laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy: A case report

Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy is one of the most challenging operations in abdominal surgery, with a high risk and numerous potential complications. Laparoscopy can magnify the surgical field, improving vision, but it cannot see through and identify the internal structures of the surgical field. Intraoperative navigation is a technology currently being developed; it projects the three-dimensional (3D) image established before surgery onto the surgical area during surgery, locates the anatomical landmarks, matches the 3D image with the actual image, and then displays the relationship between the tumor and the surrounding blood vessels. The important structures such as tumors, blood vessels, bile ducts and pancreatic ducts are quickly identified. Secondary injuries are reduced, the operation speed is increased and the surgical safety is improved. The present study describes the use of surgical navigation technology in the 3D laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy of a 64-year-old man. The present paper reports the treatment process of the case, the application of surgical navigation technology in the operation and discusses the advantages of surgical navigation technology in 3D laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy.