Laparoscopic radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy (L-RAMPS) is currently considered technically safe and feasible. However, due to technical challenges and a lack of supporting evidence for widespread clinical applications, only a limited number of institutions are currently conducting L-RAMPS. This article aims to provide detailed techniques for laparoscopic posterior radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy.
Distal pancreatic carcinoma is a highly malignant tumor with strong invasiveness, often growing to the edge of the pancreas and penetrating the pancreatic capsule to infiltrate surrounding tissues. In conventional distal pancreatosplenectomy (DPS), tumor cells are prone to spread along the direction of blood and lymphatic reflux due to surgical compression. Additionally, inflammation makes it challenging to achieve R0 resection, leading to a lower patient survival rate. To address these limitations, radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy (RAMPS) was developed, emphasizing deeper excision, including the left anterior renal fascia, the left anterior renal adipose sac, and even the left adrenal gland, to improve the R0 resection rate. With the advancement of minimally invasive surgical techniques, laparoscopic RAMPS (L-RAMPS) is being considered technically safe and feasible in oncology. However, due to technical difficulties and a lack of supporting evidence for clinical application, only a few institutions are currently conducting L-RAMPS. In this context, this article presents detailed techniques for laparoscopic posterior radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy (L-pRAMPS), offering promise for future clinical applications.
Conventional distal pancreatosplenectomy (DPS) has traditionally been the standard surgical procedure for distal pancreatic carcinoma1,2. Distal pancreatic carcinoma is a highly invasive tumor that easily infiltrates into retroperitoneal tissues. Simultaneously, pancreatic cancer is often accompanied by chronic pancreatitis, making the boundary between the pancreas and adjacent tissues unclear. Consequently, during conventional DPS, there is a risk of tumor cells spreading along the direction of blood circulation and lymphatic return. In addition to the inherent inflammation associated with pancreatic cancer, achieving R0 resection is challenging, leading to a relatively low postoperative survival rate for patients3.
With the advancement of surgical techniques and a deeper understanding of the pancreatic lymphatic system, the high positive rate of the surgical margin and incomplete lymph node dissection in conventional DPS have garnered more attention. In response, radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy (RAMPS) has emerged to address these challenges3,4. RAMPS involves the complete removal of tissues around the body and tail of the pancreas, including the tumor, to ensure a negative incisional margin and thorough dissection of lymph nodes in N1 nodes, the superior mesenteric artery (SMA), and the anterior and left of the celiac trunk3,4.
In 2003, Strasberg first reported RAMPS3. With the development of minimally invasive surgical techniques, there have been sporadic reports of laparoscopic RAMPS (L-RAMPS) in recent years. L-RAMPS is preliminarily considered technically safe and feasible in oncology5,6,7,8,9. However, due to technical difficulties and a lack of supporting evidence for clinical application, only a few institutions are currently conducting L-RAMPS. In light of this situation, this article presents the techniques of laparoscopic posterior radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy (L-pRAMPS) in detail, holding great promise for future clinical application.
DPS has been widely used as the standard radical surgery for distal pancreatic carcinoma1,2. However, due to the highly invasive nature of pancreatic cancer, it is easy for the tumor to grow to the edge of the pancreas and even break through the surface of the pancreas. Meanwhile, accompanying chronic pancreatitis makes the boundary between the pancreas and the surrounding tissues unclear. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve R0 resection during conventional sur…
The authors have nothing to disclose.
This work was supported by grants from the Basic and Applied Basic Research Project of Guangzhou Basic Research Program (No. 2023A04J1917), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 21622312), the Special Foundation for Scientific Research Development of the Affiliated Shunde Hospital of Jinan University (No. 202101004), and Guangdong Basic and Applied Research Foundation (No. 2022A1515012581).
10-mm trocar | Xiamen Surgaid Medical Device Co., LTD | NGCS 100-1-10 | Sterile, ethylene oxide sterilized, disposable |
12-mm trocar | Xiamen Surgaid Medical Device Co., LTD | NGCS 100-1-12 | Sterile, ethylene oxide sterilized, disposable |
5-mm trocar | Xiamen Surgaid Medical Device Co., LTD | NGCS 100-1-5 | Sterile, ethylene oxide sterilized, disposable |
Hem-o-lok | America Teleflex Medical Technology Co., LTD | 544240 | Sterile, ethylene oxide sterilized, disposable |
Linear stapling device | America Ethicon Medical Technology Co., LTD | PSEE60A | Sterile, ethylene oxide sterilized, disposable |
Pneumoperitoneum needle | Xiamen Surgaid Medical Device Co., LTD | NGCS 100-1 | Sterile, ethylene oxide sterilized, disposable |
Suction and irrigation tube | Tonglu Hengfeng Medical Device Co., LTD | HF6518.035 | Sterile,dry heat sterilized, reusable |
Ultrasounic-harmonic scalpel | Chongqing Maikewei Medical Technology Co., LTD | QUHS36S | Sterile, ethylene oxide sterilized, disposable |