New surgical technique for pancreatic lithotripsy without coring-out.

The Frey procedure, which involves longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy with coring-out of the pancreatic head, is considered the ideal surgical procedure for chronic pancreatitis with pancreas head stone. Long-term relief from abdominal pain after the Frey procedure was reported to reach about 90%, and this is the most common surgical procedure for chronic pancreatitis in Japan. However, coring-out has the potential risk of severe complications such as bile duct injury, pancreatic fistula, and postoperative hemorrhage. Therefore, we introduce a new lithotripsy technique using laparoscopic coagulation shear without coring-out.