A Whipple procedure, also called a pancreaticoduodenectomy or pancreatic liposuction, is an important surgical procedure most commonly performed to remove duodenum cancerous cells from the head of your pancreas. It is also often used for the removal of chronic pancreatitis, or pancreatic trauma. It is usually performed under general anesthesia.
The most common site of the Whipple process involves the right side of your pancreas and liver
The pancreatic area is responsible for storing insulin, a hormone that regulates the body's ability to break down sugar in the blood. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin. As a result, the blood sugar level is out of control, causing weight gain, fatigue, dizziness and even heart problems.
The Whipple process typically removes pancreas or duodenum tumors with no damage to the nearby tissue. During the procedure, a general anesthetic is administered and the surgeon begins by opening the affected area by removing the abdomen or the right upper lobe of the intestine, known as the duodenum. Next, the surgeon uses small incisions to get to the tumor and remove it using general anesthesia.
A more complex procedure than the first two, the Whipple procedure is performed on a patient who is suspected of having pancreatic adenoma, a condition wherein abnormal growths appear in the pancreatic ducts, which are responsible for storing insulin. In this case, the doctor will remove the tumor using an abdominal approach and resection to the pancreatic ducts.
During pancreatic adenoma surgery, the surgeon may choose to treat both the tumors and the surrounding tissues using different surgical approaches. One method includes removing both the pancreatic ducts and the affected area, while a second method removes only the pancreatic ducts.
After removing the affected areas, the surgeon makes a small incision in the area, then uses a tool called a cannula to suck up the contents of the ducts. This device resembles a small syringe and uses suction to extract fluid and food content. from the pancreatic ducts. This liquid is then taken back to a central lab where a collection system is used to determine the amount of fluid present.
After the pancreatas are extracted, the next step of the Whipple process involves removing the tissue around the pancreatas to prevent recurrence of the growths. This is done by making a small incision and then applying local anesthesia. A stent may also be placed at the site of the site where the pancreas was removed to prevent the pancreases from growing back.
It is important to note that surgery is the last resort in treating this condition, and is only considered as a surgical intervention for patients who have not responded to initial treatments, or if the disease has progressed too far into the body's digestive system. If you or someone you love is undergoing the Whipple process for the first time, it is a good idea to contact a specialist who is an expert in the field of pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is the most common type of cancer in the pancreas
The disease has been found to affect one in eight people in the United States alone.
In the abdominal approach, the surgeon places a speculum into the abdominal cavity and uses suction to remove a small amount of fluid and food content from the ducts. The fluid and food material is then returned to a central laboratory, where a collection system will determine the amount of fluid present. and the amount of insulin present. This information will be used to assess how severe the pancreatic cancer is.
The second approach in the Whipple procedure removes the pancreatic ducts through laparotomy. The surgeon will perform a mini-laparotomy (a procedure), which is a small incision, with the use of an instrument called a laparoscope, through which a large hole is made in the abdominal wall. Through the hole, the pancreatic ducts are removed and the pancreas is removed.
This procedure may require more than one operation, but when a single pancreatic duct is removed, pancreatic cancer is more likely to become curable. Patients with advanced stage of the disease may need to repeat this procedure several times, depending on the tumor that was removed and the amount of the pancreas that was removed.