Spontaneous Resolution Of Pancreatic Masses (pseudocysts?); Development And Disappearance After Acute Alcoholic Pancreatitis
Archives of Internal Medicine 135: April 1975; 558-562
View Original Source →Abstract
Three cases of pancreatic pseudocyst were followed serially by ultrasound examination. The entity was found to be more dynamic than had been generally thought. The rapid development and spontaneous regression of pancreatic pseudocysts was documented. The timing of surgical intervention in these cases must be reevaluated.
Case Details
Personal Characteristics
20-year-old alcoholic
Clinical Characteristics
Vomiting and abdominal pain, abdomen was diffusely tender and remained tender despite continued nasogastric suction, a mass was palpable in the midepigastrium, compression of the duodenal bulb and displacement of the duodenal loop to the left, compression of the fundus of the gallbladder by a soft tissue density, with displacement of the duodenal gas shadow, stretching of vessels in the pancreatic arcade
Remission Characteristics
A slow improvement followed. Serial x-ray films of the upper portion of the gastrointestinal tract, one month after admission, disclosed marked diminution in the size of the mass. By the end of the sixth week of hospitalization, the abdominal mass was no longer palpable.
Treatment & Mechanisms
Proposed Remission Mechanisms
Not discussed