Pancreas surgery can be required for several conditions, including pancreatitis and pancreas cancer. Chronic pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, an organ located behind your stomach that helps you digest food. It can be caused by many conditions, including gallstones, heredity, or structural issues involving your pancreatic duct drainage.

There are several kinds of pancreas surgery. The most common surgery for pancreatic cancer is the Whipple procedure, in which the head of the pancreas, the gallbladder, the bile duct, and parts of the stomach and small intestine are removed. Distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy surgeries are used for tumors in the middle and tail of the pancreas.

Some surgeries can be performed laparoscopically or by using a robotic device. Others require open procedures. All require general anesthesia. With a total pancreatectomy, which is rare, the pancreas, gallbladder, spleen, parts of the stomach and small intestine, and nearby lymph nodes are removed.

University of Minnesota Medical Center is the only medical center in the Twin Cities metro area to be named a National Pancreas Foundation Center. Only 30 medical centers nationwide received this designation, which recognizes centers that focus on multidisciplinary treatment of pancreatitis.