Resection of the inferior head of the pancreas: report of a case.

We developed a new technique for partial resection of the head of the pancreas with an end-to-side pancreaticoduodenostomy, while preserving the duodenum, the common bile duct, and the upper part of the head of the pancreas around the duct of Santorini. A resection of the inferior head of the pancreas was performed in a patient with an intraductal mucin-producing tumor of the pancreas. This procedure is considered to be appropriate for treating both benign disease and noninvasive malignant disease involving either the uncinate process or the duct of Wirsung, because it removes both the uncinate process and the pancreatic tissue around the duct of Wirsung. We thus believe that a resection of the inferior head of the pancreas with an end-to-side pancreaticoduodenostomy can help play a significant role in the management of patients with benign diseases and localized malignant tumors of the pancreas.