Coexistence of mucinous cystic neoplasm occurring in the head of the pancreas with annular pancreas: Report of a case

• Published in: Surgery today (Tokyo, Japan) Vol. 39; no. 10; pp. 897 - 900
• Main Authors: Ijichi, Hideki, Nishizaki, Takashi, Terashi, Takahiro, Shiraishi, Takeshi, Takahashi, Ikuo, Wada, Hiroya, Joko, Kouji, Yoshioka, Shinji, Murata, Shigetoshi, Oshiro, Yumi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Springer Japan 01.10.2009
• Subjects: Case Report; Cystadenocarcinoma, Mucinous - diagnosis; Female; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Pancreas - abnormalities; Pancreatic Neoplasms - diagnosis; Surgery; Surgical Oncology; Pancreatic head; Annular pancreas; Mucinous cystic neoplasm
• ISSN: 0941-1291; 1436-2813
• DOI: 10.1007/s00595-008-3956-7

Mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN) of the pancreas are rare tumors that are almost exclusively located in the body or the tail of the pancreas. A 60-year-old woman with no history of pancreatic disease was referred to our hospital with a chief complaint of dull pain in the upper abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography showed a multilocular cystic mass of 7.0 cm in the head of the pancreas, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed no communication between the cystic mass and the main pancreatic duct. A pancreatoduodenectomy was performed for the complete resection of the tumor, and an annular pancreas was discovered by accident. The pathological examination of the tumor led to a definitive diagnosis of MCN with ovarian-type stroma. To our knowledge this is the first documented case of MCN occurring in the head of the pancreas and associated with annular pancreas.