Groove pancreatitis.

Groove pancreatitis is a type of chronic pancreatitis that affects the area between the pancreatic head, the duodenum and the common bile duct and can simulate, mask or coexist with pancreatic carcinoma. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic masses or duodenal stenosis. It is a rare disease but is probably underdiagnosed. Several names are used to refer to it in the literature, a fact that makes it difficult to extract precise information.Here we present an exhaustive review of the relevant literature on the entity and discuss its clinical features, diagnosis and therapy.