The Whipple procedure (pancreatoduodenectomy) is a common operation performed for pancreatic cancer. It may also be used to treat other cancers. During the procedure, our surgeons remove the head of the pancreas, most of the duodenum (a part of the small intestine), a portion of the bile duct, sometimes a small portion of the stomach and the lymph nodes around the pancreas. The remainder of the pancreas is then reattached to the duodenum.

Minnesota Pancreas and Liver Center surgeons perform hundreds of Whipple procedures a year.