Whipple surgery

Most often used to treat malignancy of the pancreas which has not spread past the organ, the Whipple procedure (a.k.a. pancreaticoduodenectomy) is a complicated surgical procedure. This type of surgery may also be conducted for some diseases affecting the pancreas, small intestine or bile ducts. In this operation, surgeons excise (cut away) a part of the pancreas’ head, part of the small intestine (duodenum), gallbladder and some portion of bile duct; in some situations they may take away part of stomach too.

The aim of conducting a Whipple operation is to eradicate a tumor while avoiding metastases and at the same time preserving most functions related with digestion. The surgeon then joins these other parts together so that food can pass through them normally. Although it involves major invasive procedures and long-time healing, those who are diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic cancer have greater chances of surviving after having undergone such a procedure as an individual.

Due to its complexity it is mostly done in only specialized hospitals by well-trained groups of surgeons. Your physician will explain to him/her potential advantages as well as disadvantages about this kind of operation thus enabling him/her to make an educated choice on whether or not he/she should adopt it as a treatment for this disease.