To evaluate the feasibility of spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy(SPDP).

To analyze retrospectively 58 cases of distal pancreatectectomy performed from January 1999 to June 2009, including 30 patients had distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy(GroupA), 28 cases underwent spleen-preservation distal pancreatectomy(Group B). Group B ineled splenic vessels preservation(Group B1)and splenic vessels resection(Group B2). The length of operation, intraoperative blood loss, incidence of perioperative complication and postoperative length of hospital stay were compared between Group A and Group B,Group B1 and Group B2.

The difference of length of operation, intraoperative blood loss, incidence of perioperative complication, pancreatic fistula, pneumonia were P>0.05 in group A and group B. The postoperrative length of hospital stay in Group B was significantly less than that in Group A (P<0.05). The difference of length of operation in Group B1 was significantly more than that in Group B2(P<0.05). The difference of intraoperative blood loss, incidence of perioperative complication, pancreatic fistula, pneumonia, postoperrative length of hospital stay were P<0.05 in the two groups.

SPDP of the benign lesions of the pancreas won't increase the possibility of complication, and has a shorter postoperrative length of hospital stay. There is no statistic difference in incidence of perioperative complication and postoperrative length of hospital stay between B1 and B2 subgroup.