ABSTRACT
Laparoscopic pancreatic surgery represents one of the most advanced applications for laparoscopic surgery currently in use.In the past,minimally invasive techniques in pancreatic surgery were only used for diagnostic laparoscopy,staging of pancreatic cancer and palliative procedures for unresectable pancreatic cancer.A growing number of case series and multi-institutional reports on safety and efficacy of minimally invasive pancreatic resection have been published.Current knowledge on minimally invasive pancreatic resection is based mainly on short-term outcomes from a small number of centers with cohorts too small to make strong arguments for or against its use.In carefully selected patients,minimally invasive pancreatic resection is safe and feasible.However,the procedure should only be attempted by surgeons who are experienced in open pancreatic surgery and in laparoscopic surgery.The role and oncologic safety of minimally invasive approach for pancreatic resection for pancreatic cancer remain unknown.