This study was undertaken to determine the safety of duct ligation in pancreatic surgery. Duct ligation was performed in 43 patients after pancreaticoduodenectomy and in 108 patients after distal pancreatectomy; 33 patients had a pancreaticojejunostomy after a pancreaticoduodenectomy. All procedures were performed between 1965 and 1975; the analysis was retrospective. The mortality and morbidity for the duct ligation group after pancreaticoduodenectomy were 19 per cent and 77 per cent and after distal pancreatectomy were 4 per cent and 9 per cent respectively. After pancreaticoduodenectomy with pancreaticojejunostomy the mortality was 18 per cent with a morbidity of 33 per cent. It is concluded that distal pancreatectomy with duct ligation is a relatively safe procedure, while after pancreaticoduodenectomy the morbidity is significantly reduced (P less than 0.001) by a pancreaticojejunostomy.