Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy as the total biopsy of the pancreas: tool of minimally invasive surgery.

Because of recent progress in imaging modalities, the opportunities to detect pancreatic cystic neoplasms are increasing. However, serous cystadenoma is still uncommon. We report a case of serous cystadenoma treated by laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy. A 52-year-old woman presented with mild upper abdominal pain. Dynamic computed tomography (CT) revealed a solitary cystic lesion 3 cm in diameter in the pancreatic tail. Endoscopic ultrasound showed a honeycomb pattern, indicative of serous cystadenoma. To obtain the final diagnosis of the tumor, we performed laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy. A histopathological study showed microcystadenoma with no evidence of malignancy.