Case Report
Copyright ©2009 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 28, 2009; 15(8): 1010-1013
Published online Feb 28, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.1010
Pancreatic tuberculosis masquerading as pancreatic serous cystadenoma
Seung Goun Hong, Jae Seon Kim, Moon Kyung Joo, Kwang Gyun Lee, Key Hyeon Kim, Cho Rong Oh, Jong-Jae Park, Young-Tae Bak
Seung Goun Hong, Jae Seon Kim, Moon Kyung Joo, Kwang Gyun Lee, Key Hyeon Kim, Cho Rong Oh, Jong-Jae Park, Young-Tae Bak, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Author contributions: Hong SG and Kim JS contributed equally to this work; Hong SG, Kim JS and Joo MK designed the research; Hong SG, Kim JS, Joo MK and Bak YT performed the research; Lee KG, Park JJ and Kim KH contributed new reagents/analytic tools; Hong SG, Kim JS and Oh CR analyzed the data; and Hong SG, Kim JS and Joo MK wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Jae Seon Kim, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, 97, Gurodong-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul 152-703,
South Korea. kimjs@kumc.or.kr
Telephone: +82-2-26263002
Fax: +82-2-26261038
Received: October 24, 2008
Revised: January 4, 2009
Accepted: January 11, 2009
Published online: February 28, 2009
Abstract

Solitary pancreatic involvement of tuberculosis is rare, especially in an immunocompetent individual, and it may be misdiagnosed as pancreatic cystic neoplasms. Pancreatic cystic neoplasms are being identified in increasing numbers, probably because of the frequent use of radiology and advances in endoscopic techniques. However, they are composed of a variety of neoplasms with a wide range of malignant potential, and it is often difficult to differentiate pancreatic tuberculosis mimicking cystic neoplasms from benign or malignant pancreatic cystic neoplasms. Non-surgical diagnosis of pancreatic tuberculosis is inconclusive and continues to be a challenge in many cases. If so, then laparotomy should be employed to establish the diagnosis. Therefore, pancreatic tuberculosis should be kept in mind during the differential diagnosis of solitary cystic masses in the pancreas. We report a patient who had solitary pancreatic tuberculosis masquerading as pancreatic serous cystadenoma.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; Pancreas; Cystadenoma; Serous neoplasm