Case Report
Copyright ©2009 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 7, 2009; 15(29): 3701-3703
Published online Aug 7, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.3701
Heterotopic pancreas in the gastrointestinal tract
Zhou Yuan, Jie Chen, Qi Zheng, Xin-Yu Huang, Zhe Yang, Juan Tang
Zhou Yuan, Jie Chen, Qi Zheng, Xin-Yu Huang, Zhe Yang, Department of Surgery, Shanghai 6th People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200233, China
Juan Tang, Department of Pathology, Shanghai 6th People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200233, China
Author contributions: Zheng Q designed the research; Chen J and Tang J dealt with the figures; Huang XY and Yang Z performed the operation; Yuan Z and Chen J wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Dr. Qi Zheng, Department of Surgery, Shanghai 6th People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200233, China. jiephd1983@126.com
Telephone: +86-21-64369181-8401
Fax: +86-21-64367326
Received: March 14, 2009
Revised: June 10, 2009
Accepted: June 17, 2009
Published online: August 7, 2009
Abstract

Heterotopic pancreas is defined as pancreatic tissue found outside the usual anatomical 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 pathological changes such as inflammation, bleeding, obstruction, and malignant transformation. In this report, a 60-year-old man with carcinoid syndrome caused by heterotopic pancreatic tissue in the duodenum is described, along with a 62-year-old man with abdominal pain caused by heterotopic pancreatic tissue in the gastric antrum. The difficulty of making an accurate diagnosis is highlighted. The patients remain healthy and symptom-free after follow-up of 1 year. Frozen sections may help in deciding the extent of resection intraoperatively. Although heterotopic pancreas is rare, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

Keywords: Heterotopic pancreas; Gastrointestinal stromal tumor; Carcinoid syndrome; Ultrasonography; Gastroscopy