Partial answer to your question, "Which procedure is better?":

A whipple seems extreme for a cyst. But at 3 cm can see their thinking. Laperoscopic? That must be a cyst in the tail so the direction may be a pancreadectomy not a whipple. Two different surgeries.

Hello, I had the open whipple surgery in November. When I went to set up the Laparoscopic surgery, my surgeon only did the Open Whipple. The Open Whipple is typically around 4 hrs. (mine took 3.5 hrs.) The Laparoscopic surgery takes around 7-8 hours. I was 72 years old and he felt that being under anesthesia for only 4 hours is much better than the Laparoscopic surgery for 8 hours which made sense to me. He also said that difference is either an incision 6" long or 6 1' incisions also he felt that feeling with his hands gave him an advantage over the robot.....He also gave me the option of monitoring my IBMN which I quickly dismissed as I didn't want to gamble on when it will become cancerous. I was in the hospital for 6 days after the surgery, I was up & walking the next day. The biopsy revealed that I had Colloid Carcinoma. All 37 lymph nodes and the resection were clear....I have to be on Creon for the rest of my days but no big deal, I was diabetic before the surgery. I did not need chemo or radiation but need follow ups with a scan every 6 months. Hope that helps...