Robotic-assisted spleen preserving distal pancreatectomy: a technical review

J Vis Surg. 2017 Oct 10:3:139. doi: 10.21037/jovs.2017.08.14. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Minimally-invasive spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy is indicated for benign or borderline malignant lesions confined to the pancreatic body and tail. With the introduction of the da Vinci robotic system, preliminary case series have suggested an improved spleen preservation rate, higher rate of margin negative resections and improved lymph node yield versus the standard laparoscopic approach. In this article, we described our approach to robotic-assisted distal pancreatectomy with both vessel-conserving (Kimura) and vessel-sacrificing (Warshaw) variations.

Keywords: Minimally-invasive surgery; laparoscopic; pancreatectomy; robotic-assisted.

Publication types

  • Review