Pseudocyst rupture into the portal vein diagnosed with MRI

Vascular complications of pancreatitis

More than 200000 hospital admissions happen per year for acute pancreatitis and more than 50000 for chronic pancreatitis in the United States of America. Necrotizing pancreatitis accounts for 20%-30% of the cases. One-quarter of the patients with pancreatitis develop vascular complications, which carries a high mortality. This mini-review will address these complications that can help primary care physicians and hospitalists in managing their patients effectively.

Spontaneous pancreatic pseudocyst - superior mesenteric vein fistula: A rare complication of chronic pancreatitis

Pseudocyst formation is common in chronic pancreatitis. A rare subset of these patients may develop fistulization between the pseudocyst and the portal vein system. We report a case of spontaneous pancreatic pseudocyst – superior mesenteric vein fistula in a 61-year-old male with a history of chronic recurrent calcifying pancreatitis. The fistulous connection was correctly identified on both computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), and the patient was treated successfully with a conservative approach. Our case report aims to educate on this rare and potentially fatal vascular complication of chronic pancreatitis and to discuss the role of modern noninvasive imaging techniques, such as T2-weighted MRI/MRCP, in establishing this diagnosis and making a decision regarding its management.

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.

Pancreatic Walled-Off Necrosis Eroding into the Inferior Vena Cava

Walled-off necrosis (WON) is a well-known delayed local complication of acute necrotizing pancreatitis. Occasionally, WON may spontaneously rupture into the gastrointestinal tract or peritoneal cavity. However, erosion of a WON to a systemic vein has not been reported in literature so far. We report an unusual case of a 63-year-old male with acute necrotizing pancreatitis in whom WON was eroding into the inferior vena cava resulting in its thrombosis. Our patient also had a bunch of other well-described complications of pancreatitis including splanchnic venous thrombosis.

Clinical and cross-sectional imaging features of spontaneous pancreatic pseudocyst-portal vein fistula

PURPOSE

To evaluate clinical and imaging features of pancreatic pseudocyst-portal vein fistula (PPVF).

METHODS

Patients with evidence of PPVF on CT/MRI were included. Clinical presentation, outcomes, imaging appearance of the portal vein were recorded.

RESULTS

75% of patients developed portal hypertension, 62% cavernous transformation of the portal vein and 25% portal biliopathy. PPVF presented on CT as fluid-attenuated portal vein, and on MRI as T2-weighted hyperintense fluid-filled portal vein. PPVF was misdiagnosed as portal vein thrombosis in all patients who underwent CT as initial examination.

CONCLUSIONS

Whenever PPVF is suspected on CT, MRI can be helpful to achieve accurate diagnosis and avoid unnecessary interventions.

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.

MR imaging of cystic lesions of the pancreas

Pancreatic cystic lesions are relatively common imaging findings and may be secondary to both benign and malignant disease processes. Accurate characterization of the internal features of a cyst--including fluid, hemorrhage, septa, and enhancing soft-tissue components--is important to guide the differential diagnosis, and cross-sectional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the optimal modality for depicting these features. Cystic lesions of the pancreas may be divided into two categories: (a) primary cystic lesions, which include pseudocysts, serous cystadenomas, various mucin-containing cysts (mucinous nonneoplastic cysts, mucinous cystadenomas, mucinous cystadenocarcinomas, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms), and lymphoepithelial cysts, and (b) various solid neoplasms undergoing cystic changes (ductal adenocarcinoma with cystic features, pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas, and cystic neuroendocrine tumors). Primary cystic lesions are more common than solid neoplasms with cystic changes. Knowledge of the varied MR imaging appearances of pancreatic cystic lesions may help radiologists achieve greater specificity in diagnostic reporting.

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.