Overview of ectopic pancreas

This editorial discusses the article written by Zheng et al that was published in the latest edition of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.Our primary focus is on the causes,location,diagnosis,histological classification,and therapy of ectopic pancreas.Ectopic pancreas refers to the presence of pancreatic tissue that is situated in a location outside its usual anatomical placement,and is not connected to the normal pancreas in terms of blood supply or anatomical struc-ture.Currently,the embryological origin of ectopic pancreas remains uncertain.The most prevalent form of ectopic pancreatic is gastric ectopic pancreas.Endoscopic ultrasonography examination can visualize the morphological charac-teristics of the ectopic pancreatic lesion and pinpoint its anatomical location.The histological categorization of ectopic pancreas evolves.Endoscopic treatment has been widely advocated in ectopic pancreas.

Laparoscopic resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection for treating gastric ectopic pancreas

BACKGROUND Gastric ectopic pancreas(GEP)is a rare developmental abnormality that refers to the existence of pancreatic tissue in the stomach with no anatomical relationship with the main pancreas.It is usually difficult to diagnose through histological examination,and the choice of treatment method is crucial.AIM To describe the endoscopic ultrasound characteristics of GEP and evaluate the value of laparoscopic resection(LR)and endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD).METHODS Forty-nine patients with GEP who underwent ESD and LR in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from May 2018 to July 2023 were retrospectively included.Data on clinical characteristics,endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS),ESD,and LR were collected and analyzed.The characteristics of EUS and the efficacy of the two treatments were analyzed.RESULTS The average age of the patients was 43.31±13.50 years,and the average maximum diameter of the lesions was 1.55±0.70 cm.The lesion originated from the mucosa in one patient(2.04%),from the submucosa in 42 patients(85.71%),and from the muscularis propria in 6 patients(12.25%).Twenty-nine patients(59.20%)with GEP showed umbilical depression on endoscopy.The most common initial symptom of GEP was abdominal pain(40.82%).Tumor markers,including carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)and carbohydrate antigen 19-9(CA19-9),were generally within the normal range.One patient(2.04%)with GEP had increased CEA and CA-19-9 levels.However,no cancer tissue was found on postoperative pathological examination,and tumor markers returned to normal levels after resecting the lesion.There was no significant difference in surgery duration(72.42±23.84 vs 74.17±12.81 min)or hospital stay(3.70±0.91 vs 3.83±0.75 d)between the two methods.LR was more often used for patients with larger tumors and deeper origins.The amount of bleeding was significantly higher in LR than in ESD(11.28±16.87 vs 16.67±8.76 mL,P<0.05).Surgery was associated with complete resection of the lesion without any serious complications;there were no cases of recurrence during the follow-up period.CONCLUSION GEP has unique characteristics in EUS.LR and ESD seem to be good choices for treating GEP.LR is better for large GEP with a deep origin.However,due to the rarity of GEP,multicenter large-scale studies are needed to describe its characteristics and evaluate the safety of LR and ESD.

Gastric and intestinal ectopic pancreas: Two case reports

BACKGROUND Ectopic pancreas may be unfamiliar to many people because it is rare and difficult to diagnose.However,this disease is highly susceptible to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.In this article,we report two cases of pancreatic heterotopia in the gastric sinus and small intestine,respectively,both of which were confirmed by histopathological examination.CASE SUMMARY The first patient was a 43-year-old female which reported abdominal distension for 2 mo.The second was a 67-year-old female who experienced intermittent epigastric discomfort for 15 d.In both cases,there was no confirmed preoperative examination,and the postoperative pathology indicated the presence of ectopic pancreas.CONCLUSION The diagnosis of ectopic pancreas is difficult,and is often prone to misdiagnosis and the possibility of being overlooked.Various laboratory tests and imaging tests should be carefully evaluated before surgery to achieve early detection,early diagnosis and early treatment.

Gastric ectopic pancreas combined with synchronous multiple early gastric cancer: A rare case report

BACKGROUND A large percentage of patients with ectopic pancreas are asymptomatic.When present,the symptoms are typically non-specific.These lesions are predominantly located in the stomach and benign in nature.Synchronous multiple early gastric cancer(SMEGC)(two or more simultaneous malignant lesions with early gastric cancer)is relatively rare and particularly easy to overlook during endoscopic examination.The prognosis of SMEGC is generally poor.We report a rare case of ectopic pancreas with concomitant SMEGC.CASE SUMMARY A 74-year-old woman presented with paroxysmal upper abdominal pain.On initial investigations,she tested positive for Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori).She underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy which revealed a 1.5 cm×2 cm major lesion at the greater curvature and a 1 cm minor lesion at the lesser curvature of the stomach.On endoscopic ultrasound,the major lesion showed hypoechoic changes,uneven internal echoes and unclear boundaries between some areas and the muscularis propria.Endoscopic submucosal dissection was performed to excise the minor lesion.A laparoscopic resection was chosen for the major lesion.On histopathological examination,the major lesion contained high grade intraepithelial neoplasia with a small focus of cancer.A separate underlying ectopic pancreas was found under this lesion.The minor lesion contained high grade intraepithelial neoplasia.In this case,the patient was diagnosed with SMEGC with concomitant ectopic pancreas in the stomach.CONCLUSION Patients with atrophy,H.pylori,and other risk factors should be carefully investigated to avoid missing other lesions including SMEGC and ectopic pancreas.

Pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia arising from an ectopic pancreas in the small bowel

BACKGROUND： Ectopic pancreatic tissue is relatively uncommon, and is characterized as pancreatic tissue with no contact with the normal pancreas, and with its own ductal system and blood supply. It is usually asymptomatic, and can be incidentally diagnosed by conventional imaging studies. METHOD： A 69-year-old woman with a prior history of bilateral breast carcinoma presented with ectopic pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia （PanIN） that was identified incidentally in the small bowel during an oncological resection of a synchronous primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma. RESULTS： The patient underwent subtotal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, regional lymphadenectomy, radical left nephrectomy, and small bowel resection with primary anastomosis of ectopic PanlN-2. She had an uneventful hospitalization and was discharged home on postoperative day 7. CONCLUSIONS： The occurrence of ectopic PanIN is extremely unusual with only few cases previously reported in the literature. The need for negative margins after surgical resection of ectopic PanIN lesions remains controversial.

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic resection of ectopic pancreas in the posterior wall of gastric high body: Case report and review of the literature

Minimally invasive surgery has revolutionized the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors. Submucosal tumors of the stomach can be resected using laparoscopic techniques. We report here a case of ectopic pancreas tissue in the gastric wall that was removed using robotic-assisted laparoscopic resection. The patient was a 15-year-old female who presented with abdominal discomfort and tarry stools. Laboratory analysis showed iron deficiency anemia. Preoperative endoscopy revealed a submucosal lesion in the posterior wall of the gastric high body. Intraoperative upper endoscopy clearly located the lesion. A robotic-assisted laparoscopic wedge resection of the putative gastric submucosal tumor was performed. The pathology results showed an ectopic pancreas. The patient had an uneventful recovery and we believe that this is a valid treatment option for this benign condition.

Intestinal intussusception caused by intestinal duplication and ectopic pancreas:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Intestinal intussusception caused by intestinal duplication and ectopic pancreas is extremely rare in the clinic and has not been reported previously.CASE SUMMARY A 29-year-old man was admitted to the hospital for chronic abdominal pain and bloating.The preoperative diagnosis was intestinal obstruction and intussusception.Then,laparotomy,partial small intestinal resection and extraintestinal decompression were performed.Postoperative pathology confirmed intestinal duplication and ectopic pancreas.After surgery,the patient recovered well with no complications.No recurrence was observed after more than 5 mo of follow-up.CONCLUSION We report a new case of a young male with intussusception caused by intestinal duplication and ectopic pancreas.Surgery is the main treatment for these conditions.This study aimed to raise awareness and provide information to improve the clinical management of this rare yet serious condition.

Ectopic pancreas in the gallbladder with recurrent cholecystitis and mimicking biliary pancreatitis: A case report

Ectopic pancreas is a rare congenital malformation with pancreatic tissue in an aberrant loca tion and not contiguous with the main gland. Patients suffering from ectopic pancreas usually have lesions in the stomach or duodenum. Ectopic pancreatic tissue in the gallbladder is very rare, and only several cases have been reported. We report one case of a 33 year old man with ectopic pancreas presenting as repeatedly colic pain in the right upper quadrant of abdomen. He was first diagnosed as recurrent cholecys- titis accompanied by biliary pancreatitis, but surgical pathology proved he suffered from cholecystitis and ectopic pancreas in the gallbladder wall, and the laparoscopic cholecystectomy led to relief.

Ectopic pancreas at the ampulla of Vater diagnosed with endoscopic snare papillectomy: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Ectopic pancreas is a rare developmental anomaly that results in a variety of clinical presentations.Patients with ectopic pancreas are mostly asymptomatic,and if symptomatic,symptoms are usually nonspecific and determined by the location of the lesion and the various complications arising from it.Ectopic pancreas at the ampulla of Vater(EPAV)is rare and typically diagnosed after highly morbid surgical procedures such as pancreaticoduodenectomy or ampullectomy.To our knowledge,we report the first case of confirmed EPAV with a minimally invasive intervention.CASE SUMMARY A 71-year-old male with coronary artery disease,presented to us with new-onset dyspepsia with imaging studies revealing a‘double duct sign’secondary to a small subepithelial ampullary lesion.His hematological and biochemical investigations were normal.His age,comorbidity,poor diagnostic accuracy of endoscopy,biopsies and imaging techniques for subepithelial ampullary lesions,and suspicion of malignancy made us acquire histological diagnosis before morbid surgical intervention.We performed balloon-catheter-assisted endoscopic snare papillectomy which aided us to achieve en bloc resection of the ampulla for histopathological diagnosis and staging.The patient’s post-procedure recovery was uneventful.The en bloc resected specimen revealed ectopic pancreatic tissue in the ampullary region.Thus,the benign histopathology avoided morbid surgical intervention in our patient.At 15 mo follow-up,the patient is asymptomatic.CONCLUSION EPAV is rare and remains challenging to diagnose.This rare entity should be included in the differential diagnosis of subepithelial ampullary lesions.Endoscopic en bloc resection of the papilla may play a vital role as a diagnostic and therapeutic option for preoperative histological diagnosis and staging to avoid morbid surgical procedures.

Colonic ductal adenocarcinoma case report: New entity or rare ectopic degeneration?

BACKGROUND Ectopic pancreatic tissue is a congenital anomaly where a part of pancreatic tissue is located outside of the pancreas and lacks vascular or anatomical communication with it but shows the same histological features.Currently,the literature reports only two anecdotal cases of malignant transformation of colonic ectopic pancreas.CASE SUMMARY We present a case of an 81-year-old patient presenting with anemia,with right colonic neoplasia and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 above the normal values.She underwent laparoscopic right hemicolectomy.The final histology was consistent with a primitive adenocarcinoma with ductal morphology and solid-predominant growth pattern.Benign ectopic pancreatic tissue was absent in the surgical specimen.CONCLUSION The case describes a very rare complete degeneration of a colonic ectopic pancreatic tissue.However,the absence of benign ectopic pancreatic tissue in the surgical specimen is suggestive of the first description of a primitive ductal adenocarcinoma of the colon.

Heterotopic pancreas in the stomach:A case report and literature review

Ectopic pancreas is defined as pancreatic tissue found outside the usual anatomic location of the pancreas. It is often an incidental finding and can be found at different sites in the gastrointestinal tract. It may become clinically evident when complicated by pathologic changes such as inflammation, bleeding, obstruction, and malignant transformation. In this report, a 40 years old woman with epigastric pain due to ectopic pancreatic tissue in the stomach is described. The difficulty of making an ac- curate diagnosis is highlighted. The patient has remained free of symptoms since she underwent wedge resection of the lesion three years ago. Frozen sections may help in deciding the extent of resection intraoperatively. Al- though ectopic pancreas is rare, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a submucosal gastric tumour.

Clinical classification of symptomatic heterotopic pancreas of the stomach and duodenum:A case series and systematic literature review

BACKGROUND Heterotopic pancreas(HP)is an aberrant anatomic malformation that occurs most commonly in the upper gastrointestinal tract.While the majority of heterotopic pancreatic lesions are asymptomatic,many manifest severe clinical symptoms which require surgical or endoscopic intervention.Understanding of the clinical manifestations and symptoms of HP is limited due to the lack of large volume studies in the literature.The purpose of this study is to review symptomatic cases at a single center and compare these to a systematic review of the literature in order to characterize common clinical manifestations and treatment of this disease.AIM To classify the common clinical manifestations of heterotopic pancreas.METHODS A retrospective review was conducted of pathologic samples containing heterotopic pancreas from 2000-2018.Review was limited to HP of the upper gastrointestinal tract due to the frequency of presentation in this location.Symptomatic patients were identified from review of the medical records and clinical symptoms were tabulated.These were compared to a systematic review of the literature utilizing Pub Med and Embase searches for papers pertaining to heterotopic pancreas.Publications describing symptomatic presentation of HP were selected for review.Information including demographics,symptoms,presentation and treatment were compiled and analyzed.RESULTS Twenty-nine patient were identified with HP at a single center,with six of these identified has having clinical symptoms.Clinical manifestations included,gastrointestinal bleeding,gastric ulceration with/without perforation,pancreatitis,and gastric outlet obstruction.Systemic review of the literature yielded 232 publications detailing symptomatic cases with only 20 studies describing ten or more patients.Single and multi-patient studies were combined to form a cohort of 934 symptomatic patients.The majority of patients presented with abdominal pain(67%)combined with one of the following clinical categories:(1)Dyspepsia,(n=445,48%);(2)Pancreatitis(n=260,28%);(3)Gastrointestinal bleeding(n=80,9%);and(4)Gastric outlet obstruction(n=80,9%).The majority of cases(n=832,90%)underwent surgical or endoscopic resection with 85%reporting resolution or improvement in their symptoms.CONCLUSION Heterotopic pancreas can cause significant clinical symptoms in the upper gastrointestinal tract.Better understanding and classification of this disease may result in more accurate identification and treatment of this malformation.

Recurrent ectopic pancreatitis of the jejunum and mesentery over a 30-year period

BACKGROUND:Ectopic pancreas is defined as pancreatic tissue found outside its usual anatomical position,with no ductal or vascular communication with the native pancreas. We describe a case of ectopic pancreas of the small bowel and mesentery causing recurrent episodes of pancreatitis, initially suspected on computed tomography(CT)and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography(MRCP),and confirmed on histological review of the resection. METHODS:A 67-year-old woman presented with clinical symptoms and biochemical evidence of pancreatitis.She had similar episodes over the past 30 years with unrevealing investigations,and was concluded to have idiopathic pancreatitis. She underwent CT and MRCP,with findings suggestive of ectopic pancreas,a diagnosis confirmed on histology of the resection. RESULTS:MRCP identified a mass in the proximal small bowel mesentery isointense to the native pancreas,with a small duct draining into a proximal jejunal loop.The resected specimen consisted of normal parenchyma with lobulated acinar tissue with scattered islets of Langerhans,an occasional ductular structure,and admixed areas of adipose tissue.The patient remained asymptomatic with normal biochemistry six months post-operatively. CONCLUSION:In an individual with abdominal pain,elevated serum amylase/lipase,but imaging findings of a normal native pancreas,ectopic pancreatitis should be considered,and can be evaluated by CT and MRCP.

Malignant transformation of ectopic pancreatic cells in the duodenal wall

Ectopic pancreas (EP) is the relatively uncommon presence of pancreatic tissue outside the normal location of the pancreas. This condition is usually asymptomatic and rarely complicated by pancreatitis and malignant transformation. A few cases of neoplastic phenomena that developed from EP into the duodenal wall are described in the literature. Herein we report a case of gastric outlet obstruction due to adenocarcinoma arising from EP of the duodenal wall. The patient underwent a Whipple's procedure and had an uneventful post-operative recovery. Traditional imaging studies are often inconclusive in the definitive diagnosis, whilst endoscopic ultrasonography and guided biopsy may aid accurate pre-operative diagnosis. Diagnostic uncertainty warrants surgical exploration and if necessary extended resection is indicated.

Solitary gastric Peutz-Jeghers type stomach polyp mimicking a malignant gastric tumor

Most cases of Peutz-Jeghers type polyps of the stomach are associated with mucocutaneous pigmentation and multiple intestinal polyposis.A solitary PeutzJeghers type polyp of the stomach is rare.We here report a case of a 71-year-old woman with a solitary Peutz-Jeghers type polyp of the stomach who presented with intolerable epigastric pain and weight loss of 5 kg over the prior two months.During the hospital treatment course for this patient,endoscopic examination revealed a bulging lesion with a central hole,mucosal ulceration,an asymmetrical wall thickness and a narrowing of the gastric lumen.A gastric biopsy further revealed ulceration with moderate dysplasia.The patient received endoscopic ultrasonography which showed a second subepithelial lesion that measured 4 cm×3 cm.Computed tomography of the abdomen subsequently showed a thickened gastric wall with three visibly enlarged lymph nodes,all greater than 1 cm.The suspected diagnosis was malignant gastric cancer with lymph node metastases.The other lesion,which measured 2 cm×2 cm×1 cm was noted in the submucosa of the jejunum during surgery.The patient was treated using a subtotal gastrectomy and partial resection of the jejunal tumor.The final pathological report indicated a gastric Peutz-Jeghers type polyp with proliferation of smooth muscle bundles in the submucosal layer,and hyperplastic glands in the mucosal layer and ectopic pancreas of the jejunum.This is the first reported clinical case of a solitary Peutz-Jeghers type polyp of the stomach accompanying a lymph node enlargement and ectopic pancreas in the jejunum that simulates stomach cancer with lymph node metastases.

Pancreatitis of ectopic pancreatic tissue:a rare cause of gastric outlet obstruction

Inflammation in ectopic pancreatic tissue can clinically present with pain or obstructive symptoms,depending on the location of the ectopic tissue.We present a rare case of gastric outlet obstruction secondary to pancreatitis of ectopic pancreatic tissue in the pylorus.