A surgical procedure to remove cancer in the head of the pancreas. The procedure removes the head of the pancreas, a portion of the bile duct, the gallbladder, and the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine). A tumor that develops in the head of the pancreas often causes jaundice because it blocks the common bile duct, preventing secretions produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder from entering the small intestine. The Whipple operation can provide a cure only for localized cancers.
This surgical procedure involves the removal of the head of the pancreas along with the loop of the duodenum, which is the first section of the small intestine.