Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) in treatment of malignant tumors of the body and tail of the pancreas.
Methods: The clinical data of 80 patients undergoing surgical treatment for malignant tumors of the body and tail of the pancreas from January 2013 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Of the patients, 36 cases underwent LDP and 44 cases underwent open distal pancreatectomy (ODP). The main clinical variables between the two groups of patients were compared.
Results: There were no significant differences in the general data between the two groups of patients (all P>0.05). The operative time in LDP group was significantly longer than that in ODP group (P<0.05), but no significant differences were noted in other intraoperative variables (intraoperative blood loss, blood transfusion rate and number of resected lymph nodes) between the two groups (all P>0.05). The results of postoperative pathology (TNM stage, positive lymph nodes and R0 resection rate) showed no significant differences between the two groups (all P>0.05). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of complications, reoperation rate and death within postoperative 30 d (all P>0.05), but LDP group was superior to ODP group with regard to the length of postoperative hospital stay, ICU admission rate, time to anal gas passage and time to ambulation (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the median survival time between the two groups (χ2=0.09, P=0.76).
Conclusion: LDP is safe and feasible in treatment of malignant tumors of the body and tail of the pancreas, and has the same surgical efficacy with ODP. It also has the advantages of minimally invasive surgery such as small trauma and rapid postoperative recovery.