Laparoscopic staging of periampullary neoplasms

The global concept of preoperative staging of malignancies is to select, as best as possible, those patients who are or are not candidates for operative resection. In the case of periampullary neoplasms, we have good, non-operative palliation for patients with non-curable neoplasms. Because a celiotomy for a periampullary neoplasm that proves to be non-resectable is not therapeutic and obligates the patient to an unnecessary postoperative recuperation/recovery, preoperative staging laparoscopy can help to select those patients who are at highest chance for potentially curative resection and will prevent celiotomy in most of those with unresectable disease.