Recently, international consensus guidelines for management of IPMN/MCN of the pancreas have been issued and argued the recommended management strategy for diagnosis and treatment of IPMNs. IPMNs can be categorized to main duct IPMNs (MD-IPMNs) or branch duct IPMNs (BD-IPMNs) depending on the localization of the lesion.
The guidelines recommended surgical resection for all MD-IPMNs. In addition, surgery was recommended for patients with BD-IPMNs who have symptoms, presence of mural nodules (MNs), a dilated main pancreatic duct (MPD), positive cytology, or cyst size > 3cm.
However, they include some controversial issues and still have been developing.
Endoscopic examination plays some precise roles for diagnosis of IPMNs, including the differential diagnosis, evaluation of the lesion extension and indication for surgery. Especially, EUS is the most sensitive examinations for identification of MNs.
In Japan, ERCP is recommended for histological and/or cytological diagnosis of IPMNs instead of EUS-FNA because of the risk of the dissemination after EUS-FNA. On the other hand, in Western countries EUS-FNA is preferable for histological and/or cytological diagnosis. IDUS and POPS are also effective for evaluation of MPD extension.
The guidelines would be expected to revise more practically, based on the further consideration of detailed endoscopic examinations and studies.
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