Short- and long-term outcomes after enucleation of pancreatic tumors: An evidence-based assessment

Minimally invasive versus open pancreatic enucleation. Systematic review and meta‐analysis of surgical outcomes

“…On the basis of titles and abstracts, a total of 39 potentially pertinent records were detected. Nine additional records were identified by hand searching of bibliographies, for a total of 48 records . After the evaluation of full‐texts, eight studies met all the inclusion criteria and were considered eligible for data extraction and meta‐analysis.…”

“…After the evaluation of full‐texts, eight studies met all the inclusion criteria and were considered eligible for data extraction and meta‐analysis. The remaining studies were excluded for the following reasons: impossibility to extrapolate detailed data of MIS versus open surgery: 14 studies, absence of a comparator group: 18 studies, reviews articles: 7 studies and presence of duplicate data: 1 study . The selection process is described in Figure , while Table depicts the general characteristics of the included studies.…”

“…Currently, selected patients with small low‐aggressive pancreatic neoplasms can be considered candidates for pancreatic enucleation, with the aim of preserving as much healthy pancreatic parenchyma as possible . Enucleation of pancreatic neoplasms has been traditionally associated with notable postoperative morbidity, which is mostly in connection with the development of POPF and its possible detrimental sequelae . Indeed, despite possible clinical advantages on endocrine and exocrine function, the risk of POPF is believed to be higher following EN as compared to formal segmental resection .…”

“…Pancreatic surgery has been traditionally considered as a relative contraindication to the application of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) . Nonetheless, along the last decade also minimally invasive pancreatic surgery is gaining momentum .…”

“…Accordingly, there have been several reports on the successful application of MIS to perform pancreatic enucleation. Of note, recent reviews have suggested possible advantages with respect to operation time, length of hospitalization, and major morbidity . Conversely, some reports reveal that enucleation may be performed via minimally invasive procedures with the usual advantages of MIS, but at the cost of higher risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) compared to conventional surgery .…”