Published in:
01-12-2016 | case report
The importance of diagnostic awareness of groove pancreatitis
A review of three cases
Published in: European Surgery | Issue 6/2016
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Background
Groove pancreatitis is a form of focal chronic pancreatitis in the pancreatic tissue between the duodenal wall and the intrapancreatic portion of the common bile duct. Groove pancreatitis, paraduodenal pancreatitis, and duodenal dystrophy are regarded as synonyms by some authors whereas others use the term duodenal dystrophy. We aimed to review this rare entity and discuss its clinical features, diagnosis, and therapy.
Methods
We present a series of three cases of groove pancreatitis diagnosed at a tertiary medical center with a detailed review of the current medical literature.
Results
All patient were treated with conservative medical therapy, which consists of spasmolytic and analgesic therapy as well as antibiotic and enteral nutrition during hospitalization. Endoscopic drainage with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed for two patients. No complications were observed after the ERCP procedure.
Conclusion
Groove pancreatitis can simulate, mask, or coexist with pancreatic carcinoma and it can be difficult to differentiate from adenocarcinoma. Clinical, radiological, and histological features may be helpful in making the differential diagnosis and should be keep in mind in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic head masses or duodenal wall stenosis.