A Whipple procedure is the most common surgery fortumors of the pancreas.
Recovery from Whipple surgery can be challenging.
What Is a Whipple Procedure?
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The Whipple procedure is actually several procedures in one operation.
It involves various organs of digestion and the gastrointestinal tract.
The head of the pancreas attaches to the first part of the small intestine (called the duodenum).
Duodenum
Most of the duodenum is removed in the Whipple procedure.
Gallbladder and Common Bile Duct
The gallbladderand part of the common bile duct are removed in the Whipple procedure.
Part of the stomach (in some instances) is also removed in a Whipple procedure.
Two variations are common.
It is a part of the stomach that allows food to empty from the stomach into the duodenum.
This modified procedure is called a pylorus-preserving Whipple procedure.
Both the standard Whipple procedure and the pylorus-preserving Whipple surgery normally take approximately five to seven hours to complete.
At that point in time, the planned Whipple procedure will not be performed.
The Whipple procedure isnotcontraindicated in adults over the age of 75.
Our analysis demonstrated that post-operative results are similar in patients aged below and over 75 years of age.
Potential Risks
There are several potential risks of having a Whipple surgery.
The most common complication after surgery is leakage of pancreatic fluid from the surgical incision.
Thegastrointestinal systemwill need time to recover.
You will receive specific instructions from your surgical team on exactly what and when to eat.
The most important thing to keep in mind in recovery is that everyone is different.
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