Application of laparoscopy in intraoperative restaging for pancreatic cancer

Early recurrence of pancreatic cancer after resection is common, which may be resulted from the existence of occult metastasis in abdominal cavity or liver which is difficult to be detected by preoperative imaging. Intraoperative restaging, including detection of occult metastases, peritoneal cytology, exclusion of liver metastasis and paraaortic lymph node sampling by using staging laparoscopy, can find out the patients with occult metastasis, avoid unnecessary radical resection, and initiate systemic treatment as early as possible, so as to prolong the survival of these patients.