title: Laparoscopy-assisted distal pancreatectomy with mobilization of the distal pancreas and the spleen outside the abdominal cavity.
abstract: Laparoscopic ligation of the peripancreatic vessels or duct requires a particularly skillful technique. If the pancreatic tail and the spleen can be mobilized outside of the abdominal cavity, surgeons can perform these procedures as easily as ordinary open surgery. We developed a novel approach to laparoscopy-assisted distal pancreatectomy without hand-assist. In brief, the pancreatic tail and the spleen were mobilized laparoscopically from the retroperitoneum until the celiac axis was exposed, then the pancreatic tail and the spleen were laparoscopically mobilized outside the peritoneal cavity from a small incision at the upper abdomen. After mobilization, the distal pancreatectomy was performed as usual open method. This approach offers better results in coping with organs, which seem to be difficult to resect through laparoscopic surgery alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgical Science (Surgery I), Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-15 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan. tshimura@showa.gunma-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimura
authors.forename: Taketoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suehiro
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mochida
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asao
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuwano
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010179:Pancreas / Q000601:surgery*; D010180:Pancreatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013154:Spleen / Q000601:surgery*