Abstract
Pancreatic metastases are very rare. We experienced a case of pancreatic metastases from a papillary thyroid carcinoma diagnosed after hemorrhagic shock originating from a retroperitoneal hematoma. A 39-year-old man was transferred to our hospital because of shock. His previous medical history included subtotal thyroidectomy for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid 10 years previously. CT scan findings suggested a retroperitoneal hematoma. Emergency angiography was performed which revealed bleeding from the splenic artery. The bleeding was temporarily stopped with transarterial embolization (TAE). However hemorrhagic shock occurred again. Emergency laparotomy, distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy were performed. Rebleeding appeared from the tumor. The pancreatic tumor was histopathologically diagnosed as pancreatic metastases from the papillary thyroid carcinoma. Pancreatic metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinomas could occur in the long term even in case where the primary lesion has been resected. Pancreatic metastasis should be diagnosed and treated taking into account the features of the original tumor.
