A distal pancreatectomy is where the bottom half of the pancreas is removed by a surgical procedure. The most frequent reason for performing a distal pancreatectomy is the presence of a tumor in the body or tail of the pancreas.
After removal of the pancreas, the cut edge of the pancreas is often sutured to prevent leakage of pancreatic juice from this area. Most common complication of a distal pancreatectomy is leakage of pancreatic juice from the cut edge of the pancreas.
The procedure can be done laparoscopically with great success at GBMC. Even in complicated tumors, the procedure can be done laparoscopically. It can be done with or without removal of the spleen depending on the proximity or involvement of the vessels leading to or coming from the spleen.