Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
Pancreatectomy is major surgery. Therefore, extended hospitalization is usually required with an average hospital stay of two to three weeks.
Some pancreatic cancer patients may also receive combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy after surgery....
This additional treatment has been clearly shown to enhance survival rates.
After surgery, patients experience pain in the abdomen and are prescribed pain medication. Follow-up exams are required to monitor the patient's recovery and remove implanted tubes.
A total pancreatectomy leads to a condition called pancreatic insufficiency, because food can no longer be normally processed with the enzymes normally produced by the pancreas. Insulin secretion is likewise no longer possible. These conditions are treated with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, which supplies digestive enzymes; and with insulin injections. In some case, distal pancreatectomies may also lead to pancreatic insufficiency, depending on the patient's general health condition before surgery and on the extent of pancreatic tissue removal.
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Other Information
Pancreatectomy is a medical term referring to surgical removal of part or all of the pancreas.
The most common surgical procedure is called pancreaticoduodenectomy. Among common consequences of complete or nearly complete pancreatectomy are deficiencies of pancreatic endocrine or exocrine function requiring replacement of insulin or digestive enzymes. The patient becomes immediately, a type I diabetic, with no hope for future Type I diabetes treatements, since the pancreas is either partially or completely absent. Type I diabetes is one of the hardest diseases to maintain and mortality is very high. Pancreatectomy should NEVER be given as an option for pancreatic disease who's main symptom is pain. It is very important to note that even after pancreatectomy, pain still exists in most patients.
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