The development of laparoscopic surgery also
includes the more complex procedures of abdominal
surgery such as those that affect the liver and the
pancreas. From diagnostic laparoscopy, accompanied
by laparoscopic echography, to major hepatic or
pancreatic resections, the laparoscopic approach has
spread and today encompasses practically all of the
surgical procedures in hepatopancreatic pathology.
Without forgetting that the aim of minimally invasive
surgery is not a better aesthetic result but the
reduction of postoperative complications, it is
undeniable that the laparoscopic approach has
brought great benefits for the patient in every type of
surgery except, for the time being, in the case of big
resections such as left or right hepatectomy or
resections of segments VII and VIII.
Pancreatic surgery has undergone a great
development with laparoscopy, especially in the field
of distal pancreatectomy due to cystic and
neuroendocrine tumours where the approach of choice
is laparoscopic. Laparoscopy similarly plays an
important role, together with echolaparoscopy, in
staging pancreatic tumours, prior to open surgery or
for indicating suitable treatment.
In coming years, it is to be hoped that it will
continue to undergo an exponential development and,
together with the advances in robotics, it will be
possible to witness a greater impact of the
laparoscopic approach on the field of hepatic and
pancreatic surgery
