Spontaneous rupture of a pancreatic pseudocyst into the portal vein

A ruptured pancreatic pseudocyst causes acute peritonitis with clinical characteristics of a gastrointestinal tract perforation

Intraperitoneal air in pancreatic pseudocysts is a rare complication that can jeopardize hemodynamic stability and requires emergency surgery. A 61-year-old man was admitted to our hospital after abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Computed tomography showed a hollow visceral perforation with intraperitoneal air and two pseudocysts close to the pancreas. The patient was transferred to the emergency operating room with symptoms of septic shock. We histopathologically diagnosed a ruptured pancreatic pseudocyst combined with an intracystic haemorrhage. We resected a portion of the pseudocyst wall using surface electrocautery inside the lumen, cholecystectomy and peritoneal toilet and maintained adequate external drainage. The patient was discharged on postoperative Day 12. The patient achieved relapse-free survival for 12 months postoperatively. Ruptured pancreatic pseudocysts with extraluminal gas are dangerous if effective medical interventions are not performed. Emergency surgery should be completed as soon as possible to drain the pancreatic cyst and cleanse the abdomen.

Effectiveness of Endoscopic Pancreatic Stenting for Pancreatic Pseudocyst-Portal Vein Fistula

Pancreatic pseudocyst-portal vein (PP-PV) fistula, mostly occurring after pseudocyst formation following acute/chronic pancreatitis, is a rare but life-threatening condition. The majority of treatments are based on conservative or surgical interventions. We report the case of a 70-year-old man with a PP-PV fistula and PV thrombosis. We adopted conservative treatment at first due to his mild symptoms. However, after resuming food intake, the patient had severe abdominal pain. Following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, we found that the pseudocyst was connected with the PV through the fistula. Subsequently, an endoscopic nasopancreatic drainage (ENPD) catheter was inserted into the main pancreatic duct to establish pancreatic drainage, which resulted in a decrease in the abdominal pain. After the ENPD tube had been exchanged for endoscopic pancreatic stenting, his abdominal pain did not recur. Therefore, this case demonstrated endoscopic treatment as an effective treatment option for PP-PV fistula.

Pancreatic pseudocyst-portal vein fistula: a case treated with EUS-guided cyst-drainage and a review of the literature

Pancreatic pseudocyst and portal vein thrombosis are common conditions resulting from acute and chronic pancreatitis. However, pancreatic pseudocyst-portal vein fistula (PPVF) is a rare and life-threatening complication. In PPVF patients, drainage or operative therapy is necessary under certain conditions, including communication between the pseudocyst and pancreatic duct, pancreatic duct stricture, pancreatic duct stone, and infection that is difficult to control with antibiotics. We describe the case of a 78-year-old woman who presented with an infected pancreatic pseudocyst invading the portal venous system with obstruction due to thromboembolization. Conservative therapy with antibiotics was insufficient. We, therefore, performed endoscopic ultrasound-guided cyst-drainage (EUS-CD). During EUS-CD, PPVF and pseudocyst-pancreatic duct fistula were confirmed by contrast medium injection. Despite the presence of the pseudocyst-pancreatic duct fistula, the pancreatic duct was not visualized in the pancreatic head, suggesting stricture in the main pancreatic duct. We, therefore, performed endoscopic retrograde pancreatography, which revealed pancreatic stone in the main pancreatic duct. Then, we added a 7-Fr pancreatic stent. She was discharged after 89 days of hospitalization. We reviewed the literature on the management of PPVF formation, and EUS-CD is considered to be a good treatment option for PPVF patients without portal vein patency.

Spontaneous rupture of intrahepatic pseudocyst into the inferior vena cava

We present an extremely rare case of caudate lobe intrahepatic pancreatic pseudocyst with spontaneous rupture into the inferior vena cava (IVC). A 58-year-old male, a chronic alcoholic, presented with features of pancreatitis for which imaging was done. Ultrasound and contrast-enhanced computed tomography were carried out, which revealed intrahepatic pancreatic pseudocyst in the caudate lobe of the liver. There was suggestion of spontaneous rupture of the pseudocyst into the IVC, which was well delineated on imaging.

Massive pancreatic pseudocyst with portal vein fistula: case report and proposed treatment algorithm

Pancreatic pseudocyst is a relatively common occurrence resulting from acute or chronic pancreatitis. However, a rare subset of these patients present with a pseudocyst fistulizing into the portal vein. We present the case of a 58 year-old woman with a rapidly expanding pancreatic pseudocyst with portal venous fistulization causing portal vein thrombosis, in addition to biliary and duodenal obstruction. The patient underwent surgical decompression with a cyst-gastrostomy and was well until one week post-operatively when she experienced massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage leading to her death. A review of the literature is presented and a treatment algorithm to manage patients with pancreatic pseudocyst to portal vein fistula is proposed.

Diagnosis of pancreatic duct-portal vein fistula; a case report and review of the literature

Pseudocysts containing activated enzymes are a common complication of pancreatitis. Pseudocysts can rupture into adjacent structures including the peritoneal cavity, adjacent organs, and rarely vascular structures. While arterial pseudoaneurysms and venous thrombosis or occlusion are well known complications of acute and chronic pancreatitis, only 17 cases of pancreas-portal venous fistula have been encountered in review of the literature. A patient with chronic pancreatitis presented with a history of weight loss, fatigue and was found to have a pancreatic duct-portal vein fistula. The patient was treated surgically with good outcome.

Acute portal vein thrombosis due to chronic relapsing pancreatitis: a fistula between a pancreatic pseudocyst and the splenic vein

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a relatively common complication in patients with liver cirrhosis, but several other causes might play an important role in PVT pathogenesis. We present a case of alcoholic chronic pancreatitis complicated by acute extensive PVT. The patient was managed conservatively with danaparoid sodium at first, but the thrombosis gradually extended. We then tried radiological intervention using the direct transhepatic and transjugular intrahepatic postsystemic shunt approaches. Although we were able to successfully catheterize the percutaneous transhepatic portal vein (PTP), we could not achieve recanalization of the portal vein. Therefore, PTP catheterization and systemic intravenous infusion of urokinase and heparin was performed to prevent further progression of the thrombosis and cavernous transformation was finally achieved. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed a pancreatic stone which had possibly induced dilatation of the tail duct and formation of a pancreatic pseudocyst and caused intractable pancreatitis. We performed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and placed a stent in the pancreatic duct, which completely cured the pancreatitis. Retrospectively, the previous CT with curved multi-planar reconstruction was reviewed and a fistula was detected between the pancreatic pseudocyst and splenic vein. We concluded that the etiology of the PVT was not only inflammatory extension from pancreatitis but also a fistula between the pancreatic duct and the splenic vein.

Pancreatic pseudocyst rupture into the portal vein

A patient with a pancreatic pseudocyst rupture into the portal vein with a resultant noninfectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome and subsequent portal vein thrombosis diagnosed by computed tomography and ultrasonography is reported. A review of the existing English literature on this rare complication is also provided.

Spontaneous pancreatic pseudocyst-portal vein fistula presenting with pancreatic ascites: strength of MR cholangiopancreatography

Pancreatic pseudocyst-portal vein fistulae are a very rare complication of acute or chronic pancreatitis. Another late complication of chronic pancreatitis is pancreatic ascites. We report the case of a 43-year-old man with a spontaneous pseudocyst-portal vein fistula presenting with pancreatic ascites diagnosed by various imaging modalities, in order to emphasize the strength and efficacy of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography.

Pseudocyst rupture into the portal vein diagnosed with MRI

We report on the first documented case of rupture of a pancreatic pseudocyst into the portal vein diagnosed with MRI.