MRCP Imaging of Intraductal Papillary-Mucinous Neoplasm of the Pancreas

Abstract

A 79-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with complaints of abdominal discomfort, jaundice and weight loss. His physical examination was unremarkable, but laboratory examinations revealed significant findings indicating steatorrhea and cholestasis. An ultrasound (US) study revealed marked dilatation of the main bile duct and bile duct as well as the associated branches, with no mass in the pancreatic head. A distended gallbladder was also observed on US. A magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) revealed dilatation of the main pancreatic duct and side branches with irregular mural thickening and several filling defects ( Figure A). These trends were also observed in 3-D volume rendering images ( Figure B). Secondary to these findings, the gallbladder was distended, and the bile ducts were dilated. No mass was identified in the pancreas. The patient underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and histopathological examination of the biopsy revealed intraductal papillary-mucinous neoplasm (IPMN).Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas is characterized by the presence of a mucin-producing tumor and cystic dilatation of the branches of the pancreatic duct in the uncinate process (branch duct type), diffuse or segmental dilatation of the main pancreatic duct (main duct type) or dilatation of the main ducts and branch ducts (combined type). The dilated ducts often contain profuse mucin. This tumor is also known as a mucin-producing pancreatic tumor, mucinous ductal ectasia, intraductal mucin-hypersecreting tumor or ductectatic mucinous cystic tumor [1][2]. Dilatation of the main pancreatic duct and side branches led to diagnosis of combined-type IPMN.MRCP is especially helpful for staging and as a road map to surgical and percutaneous intervention. Because the A B