Clinical application of regional pancreatectomy for benign lesions

Regional pancreatectomy has been gradually used in the treatment of benign lesions in the head, neck and body of pancreas because of less removal of the pancreas and preservation of the common bile duct, duodenum, spleen and more functional pancreas. Regional pancreatectomy is less invasive and reduces the incidence of postoperative complications. The clinical data of 19 patients who received regional pancreatectomy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from January 2010 to December 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 19 patients, 12 received regional pancreatectomy of the head of pancreas with preservation of duodenum and common bile duct, and 7 received medial pancreatectomy. All the patients were followed up for 348 months, and no complications including pancreatic fistula, biliary fistula or gastrointestinal complications was found. Regional pancreatectomy could be used as the optimal approach for the treatment of benign lesions of the pancreas.