[Tumor of the esophoagocardiac junction]

Heterotopic Pancreas in the Esophagus: What Do We Know?-A Review of the Literature

Heterotopic pancreatic tissue is a rare phenomenon, which may occur in locations outside of the pancreas within the gastrointestinal tract. Of these locations, involvement in the esophagus is quite rare. It is paramount to improve our understanding regarding heterotopic pancreas, as some lesions may carry malignant potential. With this article, we present a case of heterotopic pancreas in the distal esophagus and review the current literature.

A Case of Heterotopic Pancreatic Tissue Discovered in the Distal Esophagus

Heterotopic pancreas (HP) is a congenital abnormality that represents ectopic pancreatic tissue that does not have anatomic, vascular, or ductal continuity. The prevalence of HP is 0.55% to 13.7% on autopsy, 0.2% to 0.5% of abdominal operations, and 0.9% of gastrectomies. It is commonly found in the stomach, duodenum, and proximal jejunum. Only 15 cases have been reported in the medical literature regarding involvement of the esophagus. Treatment depends on symptoms and location. In asymptomatic patients, simple observation may be sufficient; however, in those who are symptomatic, surgery may be warranted. We present a case of a 70-year-old male with heartburn, nausea, and abdominal bloating who underwent a diagnostic esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and was found to have HP on histology in the distal esophagus. In our case, symptoms were treated conservatively and successfully with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI).

A case report of esophageal heterotopic pancreas presenting as recurrent mediastinal abscess, treated by minimally invasive esophagectomy

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Heterotopic pancreas is a rare congenital anomaly.

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Patients may present with complications such as inflammation and abscess.

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The management depends on size, ability to exclude other etiologies and symptoms.

Introduction

Heterotopic pancreas is a rare congenital anomaly. We report a case of esophageal heterotopic pancreas complicated by recurrent mediastinal abscess and treated by minimally invasive resection.

Presentation of case

A 31-year-old woman was admitted with a history of recurrent chest pain, dysphagia, and heartburn. CT scan revealed focal confined collection in the lower mediastinum surrounding esophagus. Endoscopic ultrasound revealed a subepithelial lesion. The patient was treated by minimally invasive esophagectomy and made an uneventful postoperative recovery.

Discussion

The management of subepithelial lesions would depend on their size, ability to exclude other etiologies and their associated symptoms. The patient, in this case, was obviously symptomatic and accurate differentiation from malignant etiologies could not be accurately made.

Conclusion

Although pancreatic heterotopia is rare, it should be remembered in the differential diagnosis of various gastrointestinal lesions.