Chicago 2009 Video – Totally Robotic Whipple Procedure

S. Mackenzie

SUMMARY
The Robotic Whipple is performed on a young female with idiopathic chronic relapsing pancreatitis since the age of 7. The head dominant pancreatitis, related to complete pancreatic duct obstruction, caused debilitating pain symptoms. Repeated attempts, to control the mechanical obstruction with pancreatic duct stenting, provided only short-term relief of symptoms due to difficulty with stent occlusion. The patient developed malabsorption, requiring pancreatic enzyme replacements, and insulin dependent diabetes. MRCP identifies a long irregular structure limited to the head of the pancreas and a uniform dilation of the pancreatic duct throughout the neck, body, and tail of the pancreas.
The totally Robotic Whipple utilized 5 hours and 52 minutes of robotic time, 8 minutes Robotic docking time, and 50cc blood loss. Pathology revealed complete pancreatic duct obstruction and chronic pancreatitis. The patient had an uneventful hospital stay and was discharged home post-operative day 7 with no postoperative complications, and has had complete resolution of her pre-operative debilitating pain symptoms. The video demonstrates that minimally invasive Whipple procedures can be completed safely and effectively.