Dr. Talamonti on Challenges Facing Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer

Mark S. Talamonti, MD, clinical professor, NorthShore University HealthSystem, discusses some of the challenges facing minimally invasive surgery for patients with pancreatic cancer.

There is a learning curve for pancreaticoduodenectomy, also known as the Whipple procedure, explains Talamonti. A Whipple procedure requires a meticulous dissection of some critical blood vessels, which is both a technically demanding and a potentially dangerous operation.

Adopting that minimally invasive technology to such a dangerous operation has appropriately slowed the adoption of this technology, says Talamonti.