Laparoscopic Spleen-Preserving Distal Pancreatectomy for Epidermoid Cyst in An Intrapancreatic Accessory Spleen: A Case Report

Abstract BACKGROUNDPancreatic tail cystic lesions are increasingly encountered in clinical practice, however it is difficult to make a correct diagnosis preoperatively because there are many types of pancreatic neoplastic and non-neoplastic cysts. Epidermoid cyst in an intrapancreatic accessory spleen (ECIPAS) is a rare non-neoplastic cyst and located in the pancreatic tail. Therefore, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic tail cystic lesions. CASE PRESENTATION A 51-year-old man was admitted for investigation of abdominal pain. The physical examination and laboratory tests found no abnormalities, except for an elevation of carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9. Imaging revealed a 2.6-cm cystic lesion within the pancreatic tail, and the solid component surrounding the cyst was enhanced similarly to those of the splenic tissue. ECIPAS was speculated. With regards to the symptoms and difficulty to completely exclude a malignant tumor, laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy was performed. The final pathological diagnosis was epidermoid cyst arising from an intrapancreatic accessory spleen. The patient was discharged at day 5 postoperatively after an uneventful recovery. CA19-9 returned to normal after surgery. During 2-years follow-up, there was no evidence of tumor recurrence.CONCLUSIONWe describe typical imaging features of ECIPAS and showed that laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy was safe and effective for treating ECIPAS.