Abstract
A 23-year-old man who visited a neighboring hospital because of left-sided abdominal pain presented to our hospital on the next day because no symptomatic remission was gained. Following blood analysis and abdominal contrast-enhanced CT scan, he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and was admitted to our hospital. Another enhanced CT scan performed on the next day to observe the clinical course clarified a 26-mm low density tumor at the pancreas tail. In addition there was a poorly enhanced area in the pancreas head parenchyma. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) revealed a displacement of the main pancreatic duct of the pancreas tail due to compression by the tumor. Tumor markers and pancreatic hormone levels were in normal ranges. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET) was likely and he was operated on 3 months after the onset of pancreatitis. Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy with associated splenectomy was performed. The tumor was 25 mm in maximum diameter, ash color, and solid. The histopathological diagnosis was pNET (G1).
It is rare that acute pancreatitis affects patients with pNET, especially those with pNET of low-grade malignancy. This paper deals with a case of non-functioning pNET (G1) presented with acute pancreatitis.
