Abstract
We herein report a case of small pancreatic cancer without dilatation of the pancreatic duct in which the histological diagnosis was confirmed preoperatively by transpapillary approach. A 75-year-old man presented with a solid hypoechoic mass, 12 mm in diameter, in the pancreatic body detected by abdominal ultrasonographic screening. Endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP) revealed a tiny defect in the main pancreatic duct. Transpapillary pancreatic duct biopsy and cytology of the pancreatic juice indicated the possibility of malignancy. Distal pancreatectomy was performed. Histological examination verified a welldifferentiated adenocarcinoma measuring 15× 15× 13 mm in size without invasion of the pancreatic capsule, retroperitoneum, bile duct, duodenum, portal vein, or major arteries.
