Laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy: current status and future directions

In recent years, laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy (LPD) has been gaining a favorable position in the field of pancreatic surgery. However, its role still remains unclear. This review investigates the current status of LPD in high-volume centers. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, and only papers written in English containing more than 30 cases of LPD were selected. Papers with “hybrid” or robotic technique were not included in the analysis. Out of a total of 728 LPD publications, 7 publications matched the review criteria. The total number of patients analyzed was 516, and the largest series included 130 patients. Four of these studies come from the United States, 1 from France, 1 from South Korea, and 1 from India. In 6 reports, LPDs were performed only for malignant disease. The overall pancreatic fistula rate grades B–C were 12.7%. The overall conversion rate was 6.9%. LPD seems to be a valid alternative to the standard open approach with similar technical and oncological results. However, the lack of many large series, multi-institutional data, and randomized trials does not allow the clarification of the exact role of LPD.