[Local resection of cancer of the Vater's papilla]

Tumours of the papilla of Vater are almost always adenocarcinomas and are often less than 2.5 cm in diameter. Lymph node metastases occur in one fourth of the patients with tumours with a diameter of less than 2.5 cm. Whipple's procedure has been the most common operation when attempting radical excision. Local resection has not won acclaim, even though the five year survival rates are often reported to be about the same as for Whipple's procedure. We present a patient who was operated on by local resection, and describe the operative technique.