Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy for solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas-report of two cases

Abstract

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas is a rare pathologic entity. Although the role of laparoscopy in surgery of the pancreas is still controversial, the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy has been reported with good results. We present two cases of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy in female patients of incidentally found pancreatic solid pseudopapapillary neoplasm, with review of disease and technical aspect. They underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy with and without preservation of splenic vessels and spleen respectively. We used four trocars with the patients' posture in strict right lateral decubitus. The operating time was 180 and 240 minutes respectively. There were no critical postoperative complications. The postoperative hospital stay was 10 and 7 days respectively. This minimal invasive surgery can be safely applied to benign or low-grade malignant tumor of the pancreas especially in young and female patients.