Central Pancreatectomy
This is a highly specialized operation that is performed in very few
centers in the United States. This operation is performed when there is
a benign tumor in the part of the pancreas called the neck of the pancreas
(click here for a picture of a tumor in the neck of the pancreas).
The neck of the pancreas is a difficult area for surgeons since the standard
operation performed in many centers would remove excessive amounts of
normal pancreas to clear the tumor in this area. Patients often undergo
removal of 85% of the pancreas with a distal pancreatectomy to remove
the tumor in this area.
The option offered at USC is a procedure called central pancreatectomy
and this procedure is performed to preserve as much of the pancreas as
possible to prevent complications such as diabetes
mellitus. In this procedure only the tumorous part of the pancreas
is removed. The body and tail of the pancreas that is preserved is then
sutured into the intestine so that the flow of pancreatic juices into
the intestine is maintained.
This procedure is performed with a specific intent of preserving pancreatic
tissue and avoiding complications such as diabetes
and malabsorption of nutrients that develop due to deficient amounts
of pancreatic enzyme. The types of pancreatic tumors that would qualify
for this type of an operation include benign tumors such as cystic
neoplasms of the pancreas and islet
cell tumors of the pancreas. (Click here for a picture of a completed
central pancreatectomy).
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