A distal pancreatectomy is performed to remove cancerous tumors from the tail of the pancreas. The pancreas head remains in the body after surgery to maintain blood sugar and digestion and will continue to function normally. In some cases, the tumor also affects the splenic vessels feeding the spleen; therefore, it is not uncommon that a splenectomy, or removal of the spleen, is also performed.

My full color illustration depicts the pancreas with major vessels in the upper left corner. This illustration summarizes four key intraoperative surgical steps to isolate the distal pancreas and spleen prior to mobilization from the retroperitoneum. These steps include 1) dividing the neck of the pancreas, 2) the inferior mesenteric vein, and 3) the splenic artery. Finally, as illustrated in the hero image, number 4) depicts the division of the splenic vein with a stapler.

Thank you to Dr. Burkhart for allowing me to observe this procedure.