Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) Practice Exam

Which organ shares blood supply with the pancreas and must be removed during a Whipple procedure?

1. Kidney

2. Duodenum

3. Bladder

4. Spleen

The correct answer is: Duodenum

The duodenum is the correct answer because it is anatomically and functionally relevant to the pancreas and is involved in the Whipple procedure, also known as pancreaticoduodenectomy. This operation is performed primarily for pancreatic cancer and entails the surgical removal of the head of the pancreas, along with the duodenum, a portion of the bile duct, and sometimes part of the stomach. The duodenum shares a direct and essential blood supply with the pancreas through the pancreaticoduodenal arteries. Since both the pancreas and duodenum are closely linked in both their blood supply and their physiological functions—particularly in digestion—removing the duodenum is necessary to eliminate the cancerous tissue while attempting to preserve as much function of the remaining organs as possible. In contrast, other organs listed do not share this specific vascular relationship with the pancreas that necessitates their removal during a Whipple procedure. The kidney and bladder are unrelated to the digestive process and blood supply of the pancreas, while the spleen, although important in the body's immune response and blood filtration, does not share a direct blood supply with the pancreas in the context of this surgery.