Single-branch resection of the pancreas.

The treatment of intraductal papillary mucinous tumors (IPMT) of the pancreas is still controversial. In this report we describe a single-branch resection of the pancreas (SBRP), which is a new method for the removal of branch-type IPMT of the head of the pancreas. A multilobular cystic lesion (50 x 40 mm) in the head of the pancreas was incidentally detected in an asymptomatic 40-year-old man who underwent a routine ultrasound examination. The tumor was carefully removed along the border of the cyst and the normal parenchyma, with complete preservation of the main pancreatic duct and the common bile duct. A pancreatic fistula developed during the postoperative period, but was well-controlled by endoscopic naso-pancreatic drainage. SBRP is a technically feasible procedure and this operation represents a minimally invasive alternative to any other segmental resection of the pancreas.