The pancreas is an organ that lies deep in the upper abdomen. It has two major roles:
When the pancreas is not working properly diabetes can develop and food (particularly fat) may not be digested completely, causing diarrhoea.
Most of the time, pancreatic surgery is performed via a large incision in the abdomen (belly). The team at Harbour Surgery, however, are the national experts in minimally invasive (Laparoscopic/Robotic) pancreatic surgery. We routinely perform certain pancreatic operations (distal pancreatectomy) either laparoscopically or robotically. In appropriate patients, we are able to perform minimally invasive Whipple surgery. The team at Harbour Surgery are the first in New Zealand to perform minimally invasive Whipple surgery at North Shore Hospital and as of 2021, remain the only group to offer this surgery in New Zealand. Your surgeon will discuss the right operation for you and present all the options due to the varied skillset of our team.
