Retroperitoneoscopic pancreatectomy: a report of 4 cases        ZHAO Guo-dong*,LIU Rong,MA Xin,et al. *Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
Corresponding author： LIU Rong， E-mail: liurong301@126.com
Abstract    Objective    This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of retroperitoneoscopic pancreatectomy performed in a small patient cohort. Methods    Between February 2010 and April 2011，Four patients with distal pancreatic lesions from Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital were selected to undergo retroperitoneoscopy. Clinic data was collected prospectively. Results    Patients underwent enucleation (n= 2) or distal pancreatectomy with splenic preservation (n= 2). Operative times ranged from 30-100 min with a controllable blood loss of 10-100 mL. One case of intraoperative retroperitoneal perforation and two cases of pancreatic fistula occurred. All three patients were discharged within 7 days postoperatively. Conclusions    Retroperitoneoscopic pancreatectomy, a novel surgical approach, was feasible and effective in selected patients. The advantages of this approach include an acceptable operating time, insignificant blood loss, simple manipulations, minor complications and excellent postoperative recovery times.