To study the preliminary clinical results of the No-touch technique in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic head cancer.

A retrospective analysis was consulted on 11 patients who underwent laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic head cancer at the Pancreas Center of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 2019 to April 2020. There were 5 males and 6 females, with a Mean±SD age of (63.6±12.2) years. Preoperative evaluation showed all patients were diagnosed to have resectable pancreatic head carcinoma with no local invasion into adjacent arteries and veins, and without metastasis. The surgical strategy consisted of no initial Kocher manoeuvre with no flipping or pulling of the pancreaticoduodenal area. Through unwinding of the pancreatic uncinate process, the pancreatic blood vessels, nerves and lymphatic vessels were completely detached to isolate the tumor. Finally, the pancreaticoduodenal area was totally resected and the digestive tract was reconstructed using the Child’s method. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, postoperative pathology and follow-up data of the patients were evaluated.

All patients completed the laparoscopic operation without any need for conversion to laparotomy. The operation time of the 11 patients was (422.2±102.2) min, and the bleeding volume was (102.7±65.4) ml. There were 2 patients who developed pancreatic fistula, with 1 patient having a biochemical fistula and 1 patient a grade B fistula. There was no grade C fistula. Other complications included 1 patient with delayed gastric emptying. There were no biliary fistula, no postoperative abdominal bleeding, and no perioperative death. Postoperative pathology showed 6 patients had lymph node metastases, with a positive lymph nodes rate of (4.8±4.4)%. All patients had R₀ resection. The follow-up survival data of the 11 patients showed one patient to develop intrahepatic metastasis 1 month after operation and he died 9 months after operation. Another patient developed liver metastases 2 months after operation. The remaining patients were tumor-free.

Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy using the No-touch isolation and resection technique could achieve complete resection of tumors, and it can safely and effectively be applied to patients with pancreatic head cancer.

Laparoscopes; Pancreaticoduodenectomy; No-touch isolation; En bloc resection; Pancreatic head carcinoma