What is Distal Pancreatectomy?

Distal pancreatectomy removes the body and tail of the pancreas — the left side — while preserving the head of the pancreas and the duodenum. It is performed for tumours or disease in the pancreatic body and tail, where the Whipple procedure is not applicable.

Indications

• Pancreatic cancer of the body or tail (distal pancreatic adenocarcinoma)
• Cystic neoplasms — IPMN (branch duct), mucinous cystic neoplasm
• Neuroendocrine tumours (insulinoma, non-functioning NET) of the body/tail
• Chronic pancreatitis predominantly affecting the body/tail
• Traumatic pancreatic injury to the body/tail

Spleen-Preserving vs Standard (with Splenectomy)

• Standard distal pancreatectomy — pancreas body/tail removed with the spleen (splenectomy). Used for malignant tumours requiring adequate lymph node clearance.
• Spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy — spleen retained by preserving its blood supply. Preferred for benign and low-grade tumours to avoid post-splenectomy infections and vaccinations.

Distal pancreatectomy can be performed laparoscopically in selected patients at Charak Hospital, allowing faster recovery than open surgery.