Dr. Daniel Joyce, MD, MB BCH

Pancreatectomy is surgery to remove part or all of the pancreas to treat pancreatitis, tumors, or cancer. The pancreas is located behind the stomach and near the small intestine and spleen. There are three sections of the pancreas:

• The head, which is the portion closest to the intestines
• The body, which is the middle portion of the pancreas
• The tail, which is the portion nearest the spleen

Pancreas removal procedures differ based on how much of the pancreas and surrounding organs are removed. There are three types of pancreatectomy:

• Distal pancreatectomy removes the tail and body of the pancreas. This procedure treats tumors confined to these areas.
• Pancreaticoduodenectomy, or the Whipple procedure, removes the pancreas, duodenum, bile duct, and, sometimes, part of the stomach. The Whipple procedure is used for pancreatic tumors that have not spread past the head of the pancreas and for other conditions affecting the pancreas, duodenum, and bile duct.
• Total pancreatectomy removes the whole pancreas along with the duodenum, gallbladder, parts of the stomach and bile duct, surrounding lymph nodes, and, potentially, the spleen. Rarely performed, total pancreatectomy treats conditions that involve the entire pancreas, such as tumors found in multiple sites on the pancreas, or for rare tumors such as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN).

Robotic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery, using a tiny opening to get inside the body instead of making a large cut. It uses small tools attached to a thin robotic arm, which is controlled by the surgeon. Robotic surgery may be referred to by the specific kind of robot that is used. The most advanced robot currently in use is called the da Vinci, and surgery using it is sometimes called da Vinci surgery.