Laparoscopic surgery for pancreatic lesions: current status and future.

Laparoscopic pancreatic surgery has been gaining increasing recognition in recent years, and its practice has increased despite its highly complex procedure and longer learning curve compared with surgeries for other abdominal organs. Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy and tumor enucleation are two of the fastest-growing techniques and are currently in wide use because of their comparable technical simplicity. Literature review showed that laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy and enucleation are safe and efficient approaches for benign and low-degree malignant tumors; however, the indication for malignant tumors remains controversial. Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy is practiced in a limited number of surgical centers and presented as case reports or in small series. Although its feasibility was demonstrated by many surgeons, whether the laparoscopic procedure can achieve benefits comparable to or even more prominent than those of an open procedure has not been clinically proven. Prospective, randomized, controlled trials of laparoscopic operation versus open pancreatic surgery are necessary to justify the wide application and routine practice of the laparoscopic procedure for pancreatic lesions.