A woman from Odisha underwent a complex robotic Whipple procedure to remove a tricky tumour in her pancreas, which was becoming life-threatening. The surgery, also known as robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy, is a minimally invasive treatment option recommended for pancreatic cancer and other conditions related to the pancreas, gallbladder, small intestine, and bile duct.
A 53-year-old homemaker from Bhubaneshwar in Odisha underwent a complex and difficult robotic Whipple surgery to remove a tricky tumour in her pancreas, which was life-threatening.
It all started when Subhashree Patnaik (name changed) started experiencing sharp abdominal pain accompanied by mild fever. Initially, she brushed it off and carried on with her daily chores, unaware of what was to come. She then noticed that her skin was turning yellow and her urine became dark, realising something was seriously wrong.
Patnaik rushed to a local doctor, where two liver function tests were conducted, confirming the diagnosis of jaundice. However, even after taking the prescribed medications, her jaundice and fever persisted, after which she was recommended to get an ultrasound, which revealed an obstruction in her pancreas. Later, CT and PET-CT scans, along with an endoscopic biopsy, confirmed the presence of a pancreatic mass with obstructive jaundice. The tumour was located in the uncinate process of the pancreas, a particularly tricky spot due to its proximity to major blood vessels supplying blood to the liver and bowel, which made its removal much more complex.
How was the tumour removed?
What is the robotic Whipple procedure?
- The head of the pancreas
- The first part of the small intestine is referred to as the duodenum
- The gallbladder
- Some portion of the bile duct
- A small portion of the stomach, sometimes
- Nearby lymph nodes to which the disease spreads
