Pancreatic head enlargement associated with a pancreatitis- induced intrasplenic pseudocyst in a patient with chronic pancreatitis: organ preserving surgical treatment.

Intrasplenic pseudocyst is a rare form of a late complication of chronic pancreatitis. We report the case of a 30-year-old man with an intrasplenic pseudocyst associated with chronic alcoholic pancreatitis. The patient was admitted with the third acute phase of chronic relapsing pancreatitis. Abdominal US and CT showed a large cyst in the pancreatic tail with involvement of the spleen. ERCP revealed marked irregularities of the main pancreatic duct without communication to the large cyst and a narrowing of the distal common bile duct by chronic pancreatitis of the head of the pancreas. Organ preserving surgical treatment with duodenum- preserving resection of the head of the pancreas combined with distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy was performed. This procedure may be indicated in selected patients to preserve functional pancreatic tissue and prevent diabetes. It should be in the armamentarium of the specialized pancreatic surgeon.