Whipple Surgery Types

The Whipple procedure can take several hours to perform and requires excellent surgical skill and experience. It can be done in various ways. It can be done in open surgery, by the laparoscope, or by robotic.

The open surgery:
It is done in the hospital using general anaesthesia.
The surgeon makes a large cut (incision) in your abdomen and takes a biopsy from the tissues. The surgeon then removes the tumour, tissue around the tumour, parts of the pancreas, the duodenum, the pylorus (lower part of the stomach), the gallbladder, and part of the common bile duct and nearby lymph nodes.

The laparoscopic surgery:
the surgeon makes several smaller incisions in the abdomen and inserts special instruments, including a camera that transmits video to a monitor in the operating room. Laparoscopic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery, and minimally invasive surgery offers some benefits, such as lower blood loss and a quicker recovery in those without complications. But it also takes longer, which can be hard on the body.

Robotic surgery:
The surgical tools are attached to a mechanical device (robot) in robotic surgery. The surgeon sits at a console nearby and uses hand controls to direct the robot. A surgical robot can use tools in tight spaces and around corners, where human hands may be too large to be effective. It is also a type of minimally invasive surgery.

Before Whipple surgery

Some types of medications should be stopped before the surgical procedure like blood thinner as they increase bleeding
it is encouraged—if possible—for a person to gain weight before the operation. Because after the procedure losing weight is expected.
wear clothing that is comfortable and loose-fitting.
Stop eating or drinking anything after midnight on the day of the procedure.
You should stop alcohol; consumption and tobacco smoking as they increase complication’s risk

After Whipple surgery

There is no doubt that the Whipple procedure is a painful operation. This is largely due to the extent of the organs being removed or rearranged and the proximity of the pancreas to nerves as they exit the spine at the back of the abdomen during the operation.
After surgery, you will stay in the hospital for 1 to 2 weeks.
After discharge from the hospital, most people can return directly home to continue recovery. Some people are asked to stay nearby for several days for monitoring and follow-up visits

Candidates:

Only about 20% of pancreatic cancer patients are eligible for the Whipple procedure and other surgeries.
Patients with tumours in the head of the pancreas that didn’t spread to other organs or major blood vessels.
Many tests and imaging are usually necessary to determine whether the patient can benefit from this surgery or not.