Abstract
A 46-year-old woman came to our hospital because of a feeling of abdominal fullness. An echograrn revealed a rough, mixed pattern tumor 3.5 cm in diameter in the pancreatic body. Abdominal CT showed a heterogeneously enhanced low-density tumor. Dynamic CT showed that the tumor was enhanced poorly in the early phase. A doppler echogram revealed the absence of any blood flow signal in the tumor. MRI visualized the tumor as a low-intensity mass on T 1-weighted images, and a high intensity mass on T 2-weighted images. ERP showed a normal main pancreatic duct, and the tumor filled with contrast medium. Serum levels of pancreatic enzymes (amylase, lipase, etc.), tumor markers (CEA, CA 19-9, etc.), and pancreatic hormones (insulin, glucagon, etc.) were normal. At laparotomy, the tumor was located in the pancreatic body, and was welldefined, smooth-surfaced, covered with a greyish white capsule, oval in shape, and elastic-soft on palpation. Distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy was performed. Histopathologically, the diagnosis was cavernous hemangioma arising in the pancreas.
