Lesser sac endoscopy and laparoscopy in pancreatic carcinoma definitive diagnosis, staging and palliation.

Laparoscopy with lesser sac endoscopy (LSE) were used in combination from 1987 to 1992 in 103 patients for differentiation between pancreatic carcinoma and other peripancreatic pathology, staging, and palliation. LSE identified pancreatic carcinoma in 38 patients; pancreatic cystadenocarcinoma in 2 patients; pancreatic cystadenoma in 3 patients; pancreatic adenoma in 1 patient; pancreatic metastases from liver in 2 patients; and pancreatic cysts in 5 patients. False negative diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma occurred in two cases. Nontumor pancreatic pathology was revealed in 10 patients. Specifically, acute pancreatitis was found in four patients, and chronic pancreatitis was found in six patients. Extrapancreatic cancers were identified in 15 patients: retroperitoneal extraorgan tumors were found in 2 patients; extrahepatic biliary tract cancer in 6 patients; gallbladder cancer in 1 patient; liver cancer in 3 patients; and stomach cancer in 1 patient. In five cases no pathology was found. Overall correct definitive diagnosis was established in 101 patients. Sensitivity of laparoscopy with LSE for pancreatic carcinoma diagnosis proved to be 95 per cent (38 of 40 patients), for pancreatic tumors diagnosis 96.22 per cent (51 of 53 patients); specificity of the method 100 per cent; and accuracy of diagnosis 98 per cent (101 of 103 patients). Thus, the accuracy of the method was as high as the accuracy of combination of all known modalities. Criteria of unresectability were revealed with the combination of LSE and laparoscopy in 75 per cent (30 of 40 cases) of pancreatic carcinoma. Moreover, laparoscopy allowed palliation of pancreatic carcinoma. Laparoscopic cholecystostomy was performed in 10 patients, and laparoscopic cholecystojejunostomy with enteroenterostomy was performed in 6 patients.