Ampullectomy


An ampul­lec­to­my is a pro­ce­dure that is used to treat can­cers of the hepatopan­cre­at­ic duct (ampullary ade­no­mas), small neu­roen­docrine tumors that devel­op in the ampul­la of Vater and cer­tain non­cancer­ous con­di­tions. Any vis­i­ble tumors are removed dur­ing an ampul­lec­to­my, but the lymph nodes and sur­round­ing tis­sues are typ­i­cal­ly left untouched. Ampul­lec­to­my pro­ce­dures are nor­mal­ly reserved for small, ear­ly-stage can­cers that have not spread beyond the site of origin.