Heterotopic pancreas in the gastrointestinal tract

Heterotopic pancreas is defined as pancreatic tissue found outside the usual anatomical location of the pancreas. It is often an incidental finding and can be found at different sites in the gastrointestinal tract. It may become clinically evident when complicated by pathological changes such as inflammation, bleeding, obstruction, and malignant transformation. In this report, a 60-year-old man with carcinoid syndrome caused by heterotopic pancreatic tissue in the duodenum is described, along with a 62-year-old man with abdominal pain caused by heterotopic pancreatic tissue in the gastric antrum. The difficulty of making an accurate diagnosis is highlighted. The patients remain healthy and symptom-free after follow-up of 1 year. Frozen sections may help in deciding the extent of resection intraoperatively. Although heterotopic pancreas is rare, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor.     

Ligation-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection of gastric heterotopic pancreas

Heterotopic pancreas is a congenital anomaly characterized by ectopic pancreatic tissue. Treatment of heterotopic pancreas may include expectant observation, endoscopic resection or surgery. The aim of this report was to describe the technique of ligationassisted endoscopic mucosal resection （EMR） for resection of heterotopic pancreas of the stomach. Two patients （both female, mean age 32 years） were referred for management of gastric subepithelial tumors. Endoscopic ultrasound in both disclosed small hypoechoic masses in the mucosa and submucosa. Band ligation-assisted EMR was performed in both cases without complications. Pathology from the resected tumors revealed heterotopic pancreas arising from the submucosa. Margins were free of pancreatic tissue. Ligation-assisted EMR is technically feasible and may be considered for the endoscopic management of heterotopic pancreas.     

Heterotopic pancreatic tissue in the gastric cardia: A case report and literature review

The heterotopic pancreas, which is usually described as an untypical presence of pancreatic tissue without any anatomic or vascular continuity with the pancreas, is relatively rare. Clinical manifestations may include bleeding, inflammation, pain and obstruction; however, in most cases it remains silent and is diagnosed during autopsy. Here, we report a case of ectopic pancreatic lesion located in the gastric cardia. The patient was a 73-year-old woman who had a history(over four months) of chronic epigastric pain accompanied by heartburn. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed inflammatory changes throughout the stomach and lower esophagus, as well as a flat polypoid mass with benign features located in the gastric cardia, approx. 10 mm below the “Z” line, measuring approx. 7 mm in diameter. Endoscopic biopsy forceps were used to remove the lesion. Histological examination of the lesion revealed the presence of heterotopic pancreatic tissue in the gastric mucosa. On the basis of the presented case, we suggest that pancreatic ectopia should be a part of differential diagnosis, not only when dealing with submucosal gastric lesions, but also with those that are small, flat and/or untypically located.     

Ectopic pancreas at the ampulla of Vater diagnosed with endoscopic snare papillectomy: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Ectopic pancreas is a rare developmental anomaly that results in a variety of clinical presentations. Patients with ectopic pancreas are mostly asymptomatic,and if symptomatic, symptoms are usually nonspecific and determined by the location of the lesion and the various complications arising from it. Ectopic pancreas at the ampulla of Vater(EPAV) is rare and typically diagnosed after highly morbid surgical procedures such as pancreaticoduodenectomy or ampullectomy. To our knowledge, we report the first case of confirmed EPAV with a minimally invasive intervention.CASE SUMMARY A 71-year-old male with coronary artery disease, presented to us with new-onset dyspepsia with imaging studies revealing a ‘double duct sign' secondary to a small subepithelial ampullary lesion. His hematological and biochemical investigations were normal. His age, comorbidity, poor diagnostic accuracy of endoscopy,biopsies and imaging techniques for subepithelial ampullary lesions, and suspicion of malignancy made us acquire histological diagnosis before morbid surgical intervention. We performed balloon-catheter-assisted endoscopic snare papillectomy which aided us to achieve en bloc resection of the ampulla for histopathological diagnosis and staging. The patient's post-procedure recovery was uneventful. The en bloc resected specimen revealed ectopic pancreatic tissue in the ampullary region. Thus, the benign histopathology avoided morbid surgical intervention in our patient. At 15 mo follow-up, the patient is asymptomatic.CONCLUSION EPAV is rare and remains challenging to diagnose. This rare entity should be included in the differential diagnosis of subepithelial ampullary lesions.Endoscopic en bloc resection of the papilla may play a vital role as a diagnostic and therapeutic option for preoperative histological diagnosis and staging to avoid morbid surgical procedures.     

Jejunal small ectopic pancreas developing into jejunojejunal intussusception： A rare cause of ileus

Intussusception is rare in adults. We describe a 62-yearold man with jejunal ectopic pancreas that led to jejunojejunal intussusception and ileus. The patient was admitted to our hospital because of intermittent abdominal pain. Plain abdominal radiography showed some intestinal gas and fluid levels. Abdominal CT scan demonstrated a target sign suggesting bowel intussusception. Jejunography using a naso-jejunal tube showed an oval-shaped mass about 15 mm in diameter with a smooth surface in the jejunum, which suggested a submucosal tumor （SMT）, and edematous mucosa around the mass. Partial jejunal resection was carried out and the resected oval-shaped tumor, 14 mm × 11 mm in size, was found to be covered with normal jejunal mucosa. The tumor was histologically diagnosed as type Ⅲ ectopic pancreas according to the classification proposed by Heinrich. Abdominal pain resolved postoperatively. This case reminds us that jejunal ectopic pancreas should be included in the differential diagnosis of intussusception caused by an SMT in the intestine.     

Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma metastatic to the pancreas： A case report

Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) is a low-grade sarcoma characterized by developing metastases and local recurrence in high rate. It is mainly deep seated in the proximal extremities.The most common metastatic sites are the lungs,soft tissues,lymph nodes,bones and the brain. To our knowledge,no case of clearly defined EMC has been reported to date developing a metastasis in the pancreas.We describe a case of a man suffering from EMC who developed a single pancreatic metastasis 20 years after the initial diagnosis.A 49-year-old man was submitted to surgical excision of an EMC, in left thigh, 20 years ago. Fourteen years after the initial diagnosis a local recurrence in left thigh occurred. Multiple lesions of metastatic origin,in both lungs, were excised via thoracotomies until the time being. In 2003, as a part of a periodically performed imaging control, an abdominal CT scan was performed revealing a solid lesion in the pancreas. Distal pancreatectomy was performed. The histopathology of the excised specimen proved to be the one of metastatic lesion of EMC. The above-mentioned case of EMC is, as far as we know, the first one described developing a certain pancreatic metastasis.     

Pancreatic tuberculosis masquerading as pancreatic serous cystadenoma

Solitary pancreatic involvement of tuberculosis is rare, especially in an immunocompetent individual, and it may be misdiagnosed as pancreatic cystic neoplasms. Pancreatic cystic neoplasms are being identified in increasing numbers, probably because of the frequent use of radiology and advances in endoscopic techniques. However, they are composed of a variety of neoplasms with a wide range of malignant potential, and it is often difficult to differentiate pancreatic tuberculosis mimicking cystic neoplasms from benign or malignant pancreatic cystic neoplasms. Non-surgical diagnosis of pancreatic tuberculosis is inconclusive and continues to be a challenge in many cases. If so, then laparotomy should be employed to establish the diagnosis. Therefore, pancreatic tuberculosis should be kept in mind during the differential diagnosis of solitary cystic masses in the pancreas. We report a patient who had solitary pancreatic tuberculosis masquerading as pancreatic serous cystadenoma.     

Ectopic hepatocellular carcinoma arising from pancreas： A case report and review of the literature

A 56-year-old man was found to have a pancreatic tail tumor. His blood chemistry showed no infection with hepatitis B or C virus and no elevations of tumor markers or pancreatic hormones. Abdominal ultrasound showed an encapsulated, rather heterogeneous, hypoechoic tumor, 6.5 cm in maximum diameter, with a beak sign. Helical dynamic CT revealed an irregularly enhanced tumor with pooling of contrast medium in the delayed phase. Abdominal angiography showed a hypervascular tumor. With a tentative diagnosis of non-functional islet-cell tumor, the patient underwent resection of the pancreatic body and tail with splenectomy. The contour of the liver and its surface were normal. In microscopic examination, tumor cells arranged in a trabecular pattern with focal bile pigment resembling hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. Immunohistochemically, these tumor cells were positivefor HEPPAR-1, CAM5.2, cytokeratin 18 and COX-2, but negative for MUC-1, and cytokeratins 7, 20 and 8. These results supported a diagnosis of HCC without any adenocarcinoma component. The patient is currently doing well without any signs of recurrence in either the remaining pancreas or liver three years after surgery. We report the rare case with ectopic HCC in the pancreas with a review of the literature.     

Cystic lymphangioma of the pancreas

Lymphangioma of the pancreas is an extremely rare benign tumour of lymphatic origin, with fewer than 60 published cases. Histologically, it is polycystic, with the cysts separated by thin septa and lined with endothelial cells. Though congenital, it can affect all age groups, and occurs more frequently in females. Patients usually present with epigastric pain and an associated palpable mass. Complete excision is curative, even though, depending on the tumour location, surgery may be simple or involve extensive pancreatic resection and anastomoses. The authors present a 49-year-old woman in whom a polycystic septated mass, 35 mm× 35 mm in size, was discovered by ultrasonography （US） in the body of the pancreas during investigations for epigastric pain and nausea. At surgery, a well circumscribed polycystic tumor was completely excised, with preservation of the pancreatic duct. The postoperative recovery was uneventful. Histology confirmed a microcystic lymphangioma of the pancreas. Immunohistochemistry showed cystic endothelial cells reactivity to factor Ⅷ -RA （＋＋）, CD31 （＋＋＋） and CD34 （-）. Postoperatively, abdominal pain disappeared and the patient remained symptomfree for 12 mo until now. Although extremely rare, lymphangioma of the pancreas should be taken into consideration as a differential diagnosis of a pancreatic cystic lesion, especially in women.     

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic resection of ectopic pancreas in the posterior wall of gastric high body： Case report and review of the literature

Minimally invasive surgery has revolutionized the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors. Submucosal tumors of the stomach can be resected using laparoscopic techniques. We report here a case of ectopic pancreas tissue in the gastric wall that was removed using robotic-assisted laparoscopic resection. The patient was a 15-year-old female who presented with abdominal discomfort and tarry stools. Laboratory analysis showed iron deficiency anemia. Preoperative endoscopy revealed a submucosal lesion in the posterior wall of the gastric high body. Intraoperative upper endoscopy clearly located the lesion. A robotic-assisted laparoscopic wedge resection of the putative gastric submucosal tumor was performed. The pathology results showed an ectopic pancreas. The patient had an uneventful recovery and we believe that this is a valid treatment option for this benign condition.     

异位胰腺的内镜诊断与分析

目的：探讨异位胰腺的内镜下特征。方法：总结近8年经胃镜、EUS、病理、手术确诊的15例异位胰腺。结果：15例异位胰腺无特异症状，其症状依其所在部位而异。胃镜下异位胰腺多为隆起病变，形态大小差异很大，具有1～2个或多个胰管，开口于肿物顶端，易误诊为息肉、平滑肌瘤、胃癌等。EUS所见异位胰腺，可发生胃肠壁任何一层，如发生在黏膜下层，呈低、中或混合回声，发现腺管结构则更有意义。结论：应用内镜有助于及时确诊异位胰腺，有利于与消化道其他隆起病变相鉴别，并可行内镜下黏膜切除术。     

Ectopic Pancreas: A Diagnostic Dilemma

An ectopic pancreas is defined as pancreatic tissue lacking vascular or anatomic communication with the normal body of the pancreas. It is rarely symptomatic as it is found incidentally at laparotomy most of the time. Despite advances in diagnostic modalities, it still remains a challenge to the clinician to differentiate it from a neoplasm. It is prudent to differentiate it from neoplastic etiologies, as simple surgical excision can potentially be curative. We discuss the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of an interesting case of ectopic pancreas presenting as a gastric antral tumor.     

Ectopic gastric pancreatic cancer: report of a case

It is very rare for ectopic pancreas to become cancerous. We herein report on a case of ectopic pancreatic cancer developed in the stomach. A neoplastic lesion was detected in the pyloric part in an upper GIS of a 76-year-old female, requiring biopsy, but because it was classified as Group I, it was observed temporarily. Following blood collection after approximately 2 years, the CA19-9 increased from 177.5 to 279.5, so a GIS was again performed. Although the pyloric part of the stomach became more stenosed than before, it was still considered Group I disease based on biopsy findings. When EUS was performed, the tumor appeared as a submucosal tumor, and was thus suspected as GIST. In an abdominal CT, a neoplastic lesion with a clear boundary was observed in the pylorus, as was an enlarged lymph node in the hepatoduodenal ligament. Therefore malignancy could not be ruled out, and a gastrectomy on the pylorus side, lymph node dissection (D2), and cholecystectomy were performed. The tumor was a submucosal tumor covered by a coherent mucosa. According to histopathological findings, it was diagnosed as ectopic pancreatic cancer developed in the ectopic pancreas (Heinrich type II), consisting of acinar tissue and capillary tubes. Thus ectopic pancreas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of gastric submucosal tumors. Regarding surgery for ectopic pancreas, it is considered necessary to establish a treatment policy by making an immediate pathological diagnosis with sufficient consideration of the possibility of malignancy.     

Ectopic pancreas in the stomach of infrequent localization in the muscularis mucosae

Heterotopic pancreatic tissue in the stomach is an uncommon gastric subepithelial lesion. Is usually an asymptomatic condition which is found incidentally. As with other gastric subepithelial lesions, diagnosis can be challenging. Endoscopic forceps biopsy specimens are of little value. Endoscopic ultrasound findings are helpful in characterize this lesions, but they cannot absolutely determine the type of lesion or whether a lesion is benign or malignant. The sequence endosonography- cap assisted endoscopic mucosal resection allows en bloc resection of small gastric subepithelial lesions with low complication rates. We report a case of an ectopic pancreas of the antrum in the stomach that arises from the second layer of the gastric wall (muscularis mucosa) at endoscopic ultrasound that was removed en bloc with cap-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection technique in one endoscopic session without complications.     

Recurrent ectopic pancreatitis of the jejunum and mesentery over a 30-year period

BACKGROUND:Ectopic pancreas is defined as pancreatic tissue found outside its usual anatomical position,with no ductal or vascular communication with the native pancreas. We describe a case of ectopic pancreas of the small bowel and mesentery causing recurrent episodes of pancreatitis, initially suspected on computed tomography(CT)and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography(MRCP),and confirmed on histological review of the resection. METHODS:A 67-year-old woman presented with clinical symptoms and bioch...     

Cancer of an ectopic pancreas in the duodenal wall

Ectopic pancreas is defined as pancreatic tissue outside the normal location of the pancreas. It can be affected by the same complications as the orthotopic pancreas, such as adenocarcinoma. This extremely rare complication (only 14 published cases) may have a better prognosis that adenocarcinoma of an orthotopic pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasonography may be useful in the diagnosis of this disease. We report a case of malignancy of the duodenal wall originating in aberrant pancreatic tissue, and review the literature.