BackgroundPalliative irreversible electroporation of pancreatic adenocarcinomas is rapidly gaining in interest since a large proportion of these patients cannot be radically resected.MethodsThis is a description of a minimally invasive approach to irreversible electroporation of pancreatic tumors using computer-assisted navigation, laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasound to correctly guide electrodes into the tissue.ResultsThe procedure is presented.ConclusionMinimally invasive irreversible electroporation of pancreatic tumors through computer-assisted navigation of needles during laparoscopy is a feasible and accurate approach.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00464-016-5173-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.