The Whipple procedure is typically completed through an incision in the patient’s abdomen. Diseased organs are located and removed using traditional surgical tools.
Some patients, however, may be candidates for a minimally invasive surgical option known as a laparoscopic Whipple procedure. A laparoscopic Whipple procedure is completed through a number of small incisions. A long thin tube with a lighted camera at its tip, known as a laparoscope, is inserted through one of these small incisions. The surgeon is guided by images on a screen provided by the laparoscope, while utilizing additional surgical instruments through neighboring incisions to perform the Whipple procedure.
This minimally invasive surgery may provide a less painful and quicker recovery than a traditional Whipple procedure.
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