Are Atypical Resections of the Pancreas Safe and Effective in Treating Small Pancreatic Endocrine Tumors?
1Department of Surgery, University of Verona. Verona, Italy. 2Department of Surgery, San Raffaele Hospital. Milan, Italy ABSTRACT Context Atypical resections of the pancreas (ARs), including enucleation (E) and middle pancreatectomy (MP), are parenchyma-sparing techniques aimed to reduce the risk of postoperative pancreatic insufficiency. While ARs are safely performed for treating insulinomas, their role in the management of non-functioning pancreatic endocrine tumors (NF-PETs) is debated. Aim To evaluate perioperative and long-term outcomes of 127 patients (53 male, 74 female, median age 46 years) who underwent AR for insulinomas and NF-PETs at two academic, tertiary centers for pancreatic surgery. Methods The outcomes after AR for NF-PETs (n=52) were compared with those of patients who underwent AR for insulinomas (n=75). Results Overall, 91 enucleations and 36 MPs were performed. Enucleation was carried out in 63 patients with insulinomas (84%) and in 28 patients (54%) with NF-PETs
