Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy: Educating surgeons about advanced laparoscopic surgery

Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy ( L ap‐ DP ) has been recognized worldwide as a feasible and highly beneficial procedure. The aim of this study is to investigate whether L ap‐ DP techniques are being implemented safely by surgeons training to perform this procedure. Methods We retrospectively compared the perioperative outcomes of L ap‐ DP in patients operated on by the surgeon originating this procedure at our hospital (expert surgeon group [ E group], n  = 47) and patients operated on by surgeons training to perform this procedure (training surgeons group [ T group], n  = 53). Results The median operating times for the E group and T group were 321 min (range, 150–653 min) and 314 min (range, 173–629 min), respectively; these times were not significantly different ( P  = 0.4769). The median blood loss in the T group (100 mL; range, 0–1950 mL) was significantly smaller than in the E group (280 mL; range, 0–1920 mL) ( P  = 0.0003). There were no significant intergroup differences in other operative results: combined operation ratio, spleen‐ and splenic vessels‐preserving ratio, hand‐assisted procedure ratio, and the ratio of transition to open. The frequency of pancreatic fistulas in the E group and T group was 12.8% and 16.9%, respectively; these rates were not significantly different ( P  = 0.5886). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of other complications and reoperation rates. The median hospital stay for the E group was significantly shorter than for the T group (10 vs 13 days; P  = 0.0307). Conclusion This retrospective analysis shows that teaching safe L ap‐ DP techniques to surgeons is reflected in stable perioperative outcomes.