Table 4.

Studies describing LDP learning curve

First author	No. of patients	No. of surgeons	Previous experience of surgeons	Outcome measures	Statistical analysis	Learning curve and results
Barrie and Ammori 2015 [8]	25	1	Extensive experience in complex laparoscopic operations	Operative time	Split group, CUSUM	10 for LDP + splenectomy, 11 for LDP + splenic preservation Mean OpTime with splenic preservation: 220 min and without 260 min (not statistically significant)
Braga et al. 2012 [9]	30	Team	Large experience in open pancreatic surgery	Operative time, conversion rate, operative blood loss	Split group, Fisher’s exact test, Student’s t test, CUSUM	10 OT: 1–10 = 254 min, 11–20 = 206 min, 21–30 = 183 min EBL: 1–10 = 450 ml, 11–20 = 245 ml, 21–30 = 300 ml
Belgaumkar et al. 2016* [26]	94	1	-	No. of Clavien-Dindo complications	CUSUM, regression analysis	30 Mean OpTime 210 min
de Rooij et al. 2017 [33]	111	1	Experience in open pancreatic surgery (~ 100 procedures); experience in laparoscopic GI surgery, experience in laparoscopic hepatectomy (~ 20 procedures)	ISGPF grade B/C pancreatic fistulas, Clavien-Dindo III or higher complications, length of hospital stay	Split group, chi-square test, independent samples t-test, Mann–Whitney U test	30 OT remained stable throughout: 200 min Blood loss remained stable throughout: 200 ml
Hua et al. 2017 [34]	211	-	-	Conversion rate No time or blood loss mentioned to determine LC	Two-sample t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, chi-square test, Fisher exact test, multivariable logistic regression model, univariate analysis	15
Kim et al. 2018a [10]	65	Team	No experience	Operative time, estimated blood loss,	Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, independent two sample t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, CUSUM	16
Ricci et al. 2015 [11]	32	1	> 50 open pancreaticoduodenectomies/distal pancreatectomies	Operative time	ANOVA, linear regression analysis, Fisher’s exact test, Student’s t-test, CUSUM	17