Total resection of the head of the pancreas preserving the duodenum, bile duct, and papilla with end-to-end anastomosis of the pancreatic duct

Many surgeons have recently attempted operative procedures for limited resection of the head of the pancreas. This site-specific approach has emerged as a result of precise diagnostic radiologic studies that have become available. The author performed a new operative procedure in 2 patients with mucin-producing pancreatic cysts that included total resection of the head of the pancreas with careful regard to its vasculature. The procedure provided a way of resecting the head of the pancreas while preserving the duodenum, bile duct, and papilla. The pancreatic duct was cut 5 mm before the point of confluence with the bile duct, and an end-to-end anastomosis was performed on the pancreatic duct. Both patients were discharged within 1 to 1.5 months after surgery, without complication. The operative procedure requires no processing of the jejunum, only a simple anastomosis of the pancreatic duct.