Objective: To assess the clinical value of precise resection technique in treatment of functioning islet cell tumors. Methods: The clinical data of 24 patients with functioning islet cell tumors who underwent precise resection during January 2005 to July 2012 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Results: All patients underwent precise resection of the lesion, namely that of a minimally invasive procedure with maximal preservation of normal functional pancreatic tissue. Of the whole group of patients, the operative time was 1.5–4.8 (2.8±0.7) h, intraoperative blood loss was 50–500 (213.78±46.60) mL and length of postoperative hospital stay was 12–32 (13.5±6.17) d. Postoperative pancreatic fistula developed in 4 patients and all were resolved by conservative treatment. All patients were cured and discharged from hospital and the follow-up duration ranged from 4 months to 7 years. During the follow-up period, no death, malignant change or recurrence occurred, and all patients had a better quality of life. Conclusion: For solitary benign islet cell tumors, the precise tumor resection based on the histologic features of the pancreatic tissue is recommended.