Pancreatic Surgery

Pancreatic surgery encompasses a broad range of procedures concerning the pancreas. It is performed to treat a variety of pancreatic disorders. Pancreatic disorders are caused by tumors or inflammation. Typically, pancreatic surgery involves the removal of the diseased portion of the pancreas. A patient must undergo a series of tests to determine exactly which type of pancreatic surgery is appropriate.

Treatment for Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a condition that develops when the pancreas is damaged by inflammation, which leads to swelling and sometimes necrosis (death) of parts of the pancreas. Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by the widespread scarring and destruction of pancreatic tissue. Both acute and chronic pancreatitis can be treated with laparoscopic surgery, which spares patients a large incision.

Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer

There are two types of surgical procedures that are used to treat pancreatic cancer. Potentially curative surgery is performed when imaging tests show that it’s likely to remove all of the cancer, and palliative surgery is performed if imaging tests show that the cancer is too widespread to remove completely. Palliative surgery is performed to relieve symptoms and prevent complications from arising.

Potentially curative surgery is mostly performed to treat cancer at the head of the pancreas. The three types of surgery performed to remove tumors from the pancreas include the Whipple procedure, distal pancreatectomy, and total pancreatectomy. The Whipple procedure is the most common procedure performed to remove pancreas cancer. It involves removing the head of the pancreas and sometimes the body of the pancreas. The small intestine, lymph nodes, part of the stomach, part of the common bile duct, and the gallbladder are also removed when the Whipple procedure is performed.

Distal pancreatectomy involves the removal of the tail of the pancreas and sometimes a portion of the body of the pancreas. Total pancreatectomy removes the entire pancreas and spleen. Today, it is seldom used to treat pancreas cancer because there are no known advantages to removing the entire pancreas.