medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, and Health promotion ...

, a pancreatectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the

pancreas The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, i.e. it has both an en ...

. Several types of pancreatectomy exist, including

pancreaticoduodenectomy A pancreaticoduodenectomy, also known as a Whipple procedure, is a major surgical operation most often performed to remove cancerous tumours from the head of the pancreas. It is also used for the treatment of pancreatic or duodenal trauma, or chr ...

(Whipple procedure), distal pancreatectomy, segmental pancreatectomy, and total pancreatectomy. In recent years, the TP-IAT (Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Autotransplantation) has also gained respectable traction within the medical community. These procedures are used in the management of several conditions involving the pancreas, such as benign

pancreatic tumor Pancreatic tumors (Pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts o ...

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of panc ...

, and

pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. There are two main types: acute pancreatitis, and chronic p ...

Indications

It is performed for a variety of reasons, including: *

Inflammation Inflammation (from la, wikt:en:inflammatio#Latin, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or Irritation, irritants, and is a protective response involving im ...

** Necrotising

** Chronic pancreatitis with pain * Trauma *

Neoplasms A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

Adenocarcinoma Adenocarcinoma (; plural adenocarcinomas or adenocarcinomata ) (AC) is a type of cancerous tumor that can occur in several parts of the body. It is defined as neoplasia of epithelial tissue that has glandular origin, glandular characteristics, o ...

(85%) ** Cystadenoma (mucinous/serous) ** Cystadenocarcinoma ** Islet cell tumors (

neuroendocrine Neuroendocrine cells are cells that receive neuronal input (through neurotransmitters released by nerve cells or neurosecretory cells) and, as a consequence of this input, release messenger molecules ( hormones) into the blood. In this way they br ...

tumors) ** Papillary cystic neoplasms **

Lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enl ...

** Acinar cell tumors * Severe hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia

Types

The most common surgical procedure involving removal of a portion of the pancreas is called a

Diagram showing how the bowel is joined back together after a total pancreatectomy CRUK 137

Among common consequences of complete or nearly complete pancreatectomy are deficiencies of pancreatic endocrine or exocrine function requiring replacement of

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...

digestive enzyme Digestive enzymes are a group of enzymes that break down polymeric macromolecules into their smaller building blocks, in order to facilitate their absorption into the cells of the body. Digestive enzymes are found in the digestive tracts of anima ...

s. The patient immediately develops type 1 diabetes, with little hope for future type 1 diabetes treatments involving the restoration of endocrine function to a damaged pancreas, since the pancreas is either partially or completely absent. Type 1 diabetes can be treated with careful blood glucose monitoring and insulin therapy. Because the pancreas is responsible for the production of many digestive enzymes, a pancreatectomy should only be given as an option for pancreatic disease which is life-threatening, such as pancreatic cancers. It is very important to note that even after a pancreatectomy, pain still exists in most patients. A distal pancreatectomy is removal of the body and tail of the pancreas.

Prognosis

After a total pancreatectomy, the body no longer produces its own insulin or pancreatic enzymes, so patients have to take insulin and enzyme supplements. Those who were not already diabetic become so. Glycemic control is challenging even for relatively young and healthy apancreatic people, owing to the digestive challenges of not having endogenous insulin and pancreatic enzymes under autonomic control. It can be insurmountably challenging depending on age and comorbidities. But overall, quality of life in patients after total pancreatectomy is comparable with quality of life in patients who undergo a partial pancreatic resection. An experimental procedure called

islet cell transplantation Islet transplantation is the transplantation of isolated islets from a donor pancreas into another person. It is an experimental treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus. Once transplanted, the islets begin to produce insulin, actively regulating th ...

exists to help mediate the loss of endocrine function following total pancreatectomy.Common Signs of Pancreatic Cancer
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References

External links

The Toronto Video Atlas of Liver, Pancreas and Transplant Surgery – Video of total pancreatectomy procedure
{{Digestive system surgical procedures Surgical oncology Surgical removal procedures Accessory digestive gland surgery Pancreatic cancer

Indications

Types

Prognosis

See also

References

External links