Laparoscopic pancreatic surgery

Results and Conclusions: Laparoscopy may have a role in the staging of patients with pancreatic malignancies; however, with high-quality preoperative imaging, the percentage of patients who will benefit from laparoscopy may be as low as 5%. For palliation, both cholecystoenterostomy and choledochoenterostomy can be performed laparoscopically. The former is technically straightforward but has a higher failure rate; the latter is technically difficult and currently not suitable for widespread adoption. Laparoscopic gastroenterostomy is a straightforward means of palliating gastrointestinal obstruction. Patients appear to benefit from laparoscopic distal pancreatic resection but not from laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy. Patients appear to benefit from laparoscopic pseudocyst decompression.