73-year-old undergoes laparoscopic whipple surgery

A city hospital has successfully performed 'laparoscopic whipple surgery with portal vein resection' on a 73-year-old man from North India,suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer.
Claimed to be the first such in India,the seven-hour-long surgery was very complicated, since cancer infiltration to the vein needed resection and joining which was very difficult even in open operation, Dr C Palanivelu, Chairman of the private Gem Hospital told reporters here today.
Ramkishan Agarwal from Hapur in Uttar Pradesh, who was suffering from jaundice for long, came to the hospital, and on a thorough check, he was diagnosed with having pancreatic cancer in advanced stage, Palanivelu said.

Agarwal was fine now and would be discharged soon, he said.
Only two centres in the World performed the laparoscopic method for pancreatic cancer--Kendrick Mayo Clinic, US and Gem Hospital, Palanivel claimed.
Agarwal was present at the press meet along with his son.