Pseudopapillary Tumor of the Pancreas: A Rare Cause of Extrahepatic Portal Hypertension

Left-sided portal hypertension caused by a solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of pancreas tail: a pediatric case report

BACKGROUND

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) is a low-grade malignant tumor that occurs in 60% of all pediatric pancreas tumors. Radical tumor resection is essential; however, spleen preservation is also crucial to prevent overwhelming post-splenectomy infection. In contrast, spleen preservation is not always possible, because left-sided portal hypertension (LSPH) can cause splenic vein stenosis or occlusion induced by pancreatic tumor. We herein report on a pediatric patient of LSPH due to SPN in the pancreatic tail.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 12-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital with left upper quadrant abdominal pain. A solid mass was palpated in the left costal region. The patient showed slight anemia (Hb: 11.8 g/dL) and elevation of inflammatory reaction (CRP: 5.98 mg/dL) without positive tumor markers. A radiological examination revealed that a 9 cm-sized mass with hemorrhagic necrosis in the pancreatic tail. Splenic venous flow was not detected and collateral draining into the left gastric vein and left renal veins were developed with splenomegaly. LSPH was involved at the time of diagnosis. The tumor was diagnosed with SPN, hence tumor resection with spleen preservation was performed. Six months after surgery, the patient developed a left quadrant abdominal pain that worsened during exercise. There was no improvement of splenic venous flow and splenomegaly. LSPH remained with splenomegaly, which possibly triggered the patient's abdominal pain. The patient underwent splenectomy 9 months after the tumor resection. After the splenectomy, the patient's abdominal pain disappeared without any recurrence 8-year post-surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

LSPH has not been a major focus in previous SPN pediatric patients, although most symptomatic LSPH patients required splenectomy. Careful post-operative observation for LSPH is important for pediatric SPN patients.

Etiologies of Splenic Venous Hypertension: A Review

Splenic venous hypertension or left-sided portal hypertension is a rare condition caused by an obstruction of the splenic vein. Usually, it presents with upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the absence of liver disease. Etiologies can be classified based on the mechanism of development of splenic vein hypertension: compression, stenosis, inflammation, thrombosis, and surgically decreased splenic venous flow. Diagnosis is established by various imaging modalities and should be suspected in patients with gastric varices in the absence of esophageal varices, splenomegaly, or cirrhosis. The management and prognosis vary depending on the underlying etiology but generally involve reducing splenic venous pressure. The aim of this review was to summarize the etiologies of splenic venous hypertension according to the mechanism of development.

Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm of the Pancreas Presenting With Gastric Outlet Obstruction

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) of the pancreas are rare tumors accounting for a minor portion of all exocrine pancreatic tumors. It usually occurs in young women. It has a very low malignant potential with a relatively indolent clinical course. A small subset of patients exhibits pathological features of malignancy. Herein, we present a rare case of pancreatic SPN that presented with gastric outlet obstruction. Despite the characteristic computed tomography (CT) findings, due to its rarity, it was missed in more common conditions such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors. In our case, we found that the tumor was causing extrinsic duodenal compression leading to gastric outlet obstruction, creating a diagnostic dilemma.