Pancreatitis of the gastroduodenal groove: a case report

Groove pancreatitis: a challenging imaging diagnosis

Groove pancreatitis (GP) is an uncommon form of chronic pancreatitis (CP) involving the space between duodenum, pancreatic head and common bile duct (CBD) known as pancreatic-duodenal groove. Although an association with long-standing ethanol assumption is reported a definite etiology of GP is unknown. Since thickening of the duodenal wall, pancreatic head enlargement, CBD stricture and dilatation of pancreatic duct system are common findings the differential diagnosis with pancreatic head neoplasm by means of imaging can be challenging. However, some imaging findings such as fibrotic changes of the pancreatic groove and presence of duodenal wall cysts may suggest the correct diagnosis. In this paper we review clinical and imaging features of GP with emphasis on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings.

Groove resection of pancreatic head in groove pancreatitis: A case report

Groove pancreatitis (GP) is a rare type of chronic pancreatitis, which primarily affects the groove area of the pancreatic head. Surgery is considered as the ultimate method for GP if the symptoms are not improved by conservative or endoscopic treatments, and the Whipple technique is the common choice at present. The present study introduces a novel surgical procedure for GP, namely groove resection of pancreatic head (GRPH), in a 56-year-old male patient. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on GRPH for the surgical treatment of GP. This patient was diagnosed with typical GP without any evidence of malignancy, based on imaging studies and gastrointestinal endoscopy, and was treated with GRPH. Briefly, only the groove area of the pancreatic head was resected, while the duodenum, the main pancreatic duct and the majority of the pancreatic head were preserved. A complete relief of abdominal pain and a weight gain were achieved 2 months after surgery. Endoscopic examination indicated marked improvement of the duodenal lesions. In conclusion, GRPH is a less invasive surgical procedure for GP compared with other surgical procedures and may be an alternative for the surgical treatment of GP without severe lesions or stenosis of the duodenum.

Cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall is not always associated with chronic pancreatitis

Cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall is a rare form of the disease which was described in 1970 by French authors who reported the presence of focal pancreatic disease localized in an area comprising the C-loop of the duodenum and the head of the pancreas. German authors have defined this area as a “groove”. We report our recent experience on cystic dystrophy of the paraduodenal space and systematically review the data in the literature regarding the alterations of this space. A MEDLINE search of papers published between 1966 and 2010 was carried out and 59 papers were considered for the present study; there were 19 cohort studies and 40 case reports. The majority of patients having groove pancreatitis were middle aged. Mean age was significantly higher in patients having groove carcinoma. The diagnosis of cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall can now be assessed by multidetector computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and endoscopic ultrasonography. These latter two techniques may also add more information on the involvement of the remaining pancreatic gland not involved by the duodenal malformation and they may help in differentiating “groove pancreatitis” from “groove adenocarcinoma”. In conclusion, chronic pancreatitis involving the entire pancreatic gland was present in half of the patients with cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall and, in the majority of them, the pancreatitis had calcifications.