LAPAROSCOPIC PARTIAL SPLENIC RESECTION

Twenty domestic pigs with an average weight of 30 kg were subjected to laparoscopic partial splenic resection with the aim of determining th e feasibility, reliability, and safety of this procedure. Unlike the h uman spleen, the pig spleen is perpendicular to the body's long axis, and it is long and slender. The parenchyma was severed through the mid dle third, where the organ is thickest. An 18-mm trocar with a 60-mm E ndopath linear cutter was used for the resection. The tissue was remov ed with a 33-mm trocar. The operation was successfully concluded in al l animals. No capsule tears occurred as a result of applying the stapl er. Optimal hemostasis was achieved on the resected edges in all anima ls. Although these findings cannot be extended to human surgery withou t reservations, we suggest that diagnostic partial resection and minor cyst resections are ideal initial indications for this minimally inva sive approach.