Laparoscopic duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection: a narrative review

Pancreatic surgery is one of the most complex and challenging fields in abdominal surgery associated with extensive surgical trauma, damage to adjacent organs, a long operation time and a high incidence of postoperative complications. Since the early 1990s, laparoscopic techniques have been applied to a growing number of pancreas surgeries, and great progress has been achieved in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy. As surgeons become proficient in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy techniques, laparoscopic techniques are gradually used in other pancreatic surgeries, such as laparoscopic distal pancreatectomies and laparoscopic duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (LDPPHR), which may benefit patients by reducing postoperative pain and hospital stays and providing a quick recovery to normal activity. Recently, a great number of literature have introduced LDPPHR. It is a good surgical method for benign and low-grade malignant tumors of the pancreatic head. Although LDPPHR is technically feasible, it is not yet generally practicable and limited to highly skilled endoscopic surgeons, and the long-term results after LDPPHR are still not well defined. This article aims to provide a literature review of LDPPHR to assess its feasibility, safety, postoperative recovery, and future outlook according to early experiences of this technique.