There has been a controversy for years concerning the value of the prophylactic gastroenterostomy (GE) in patients suffering from irresectable pancreatic cancer. A retrospective analysis of the patients undergoing palliative bypass-operations for pancreatic cancer at Zurich University Hospital between 1982 and 1990 revealed 53 patients (28 male, 25 female) with an average age of 68 years. Twenty-one patients received a double bypass, 18 received a hepaticojejunostomy, 12 a primary and 2 a secondary GE. Mortality and morbidity for double bypass were 14% and 33%, for hepaticojejunostomy 5% and 28% and for primary GE 25% and 50%. Secondary GE was associated with a mortality and morbidity of 1 of 2 cases. Two patients received a secondary GE and two more showed signs of duodenal obstruction amounting to 20% incidence for secondary duodenal obstruction. Delayed gastric emptying was observed in only 2 patients with primary GE. These data suggest the use of a prophylactic double bypass.