Surgery of the pancreas can be performed safely using a new technology called laparoscopy that reduces the pain and disability of standard surgery. Unlike standard surgery, laparoscopic pancreatic surgery is performed through five small (½ inch) incisions. As a result, many patients return home from the hospital more quickly and are able to resume their normal activities in a shorter period of time. Minimally-invasive pancreatic surgery is routinely performed within the Division of Surgical Oncology by Drs. Kenneth Lee, Jim Moser and Herbert Zeh.

Minimally-invasive surgery is usually considered for patients that have pancreatic cysts (pseudocysts, cystadenomas) and other low-grade tumors of the pancreas. Cancer of the pancreas is usually evaluated first by laparoscopy and a small ultrasound probe placed onto the pancreas and liver prior to definitive surgery using traditional surgical approaches which are tailored to the cancer patient.