Central pancreatectomy as an indication for various benign pancreatic tumors.

Standard pancreatic resections, either proximal or distal ones, result in a considerable loss of pancreatic parenchyma and may cause impairment of the exocrine and endocrine functions. Central pancreatectomy has been indicated for small benign lesions located in the neck or body of the pancreas. It has the potential advantage of lowering the risk of functional impairment of the pancreatic parenchyma, biliary tract, upper gastrointestinal tract, and spleen. We present three cases of patients with benign, isolated pancreatic tumors who underwent a successful central pancreatectomy. From this small series, we believe that central pancreatectomy is an excellent therapeutic option for benign, localized pancreatic tumors.