Retrospective Single Center Evaluation of Endosonographic Features of Ectopic Pancreas Cases

Abstract

Objective: Ectopic pancreas is defined as pancreatic tissue located outside the normal pancreas. The aim of the present study was to determine the sonographic characteristics of lesions considered as ectopic pancreas via endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) examination. Materials and Methods:This retrospective single-center study included 53 patients diagnosed with ectopic pancreas by EUS between March 2014 and March 2020.Results: In the study, 32 (60.4%) patients were female and mean age was 44.7 ± 12.1 years. Thirty seven (69.8%) lesions were detected at the antrum greater curvature side, 10 (18.9%) at the antrum posterior wall, three (5.7%) at the corpus, two (3.8%) at the bulbus. EUS examination revealed that all lesions exhibited a heterogeneous pattern, 52 (98.1%) lesions had a hypoechoic appearance, 45 (85%) lesion borders were regular, and 45 (85%) showed central umbilication. The lesions were most frequently located in the submucosa (90.6%). The mean long axis was 10.7±3.5 mm, the mean short axis was 4.8±1.0 mm, and long/short axis ratio was 2.4±0.9. No significant difference was observed between the dimensions and size ratios of lesions and the presence or absence of umbilication (p = 0.550, 1.000 and 0.583, respectively). Conclusion:In cases where the endoscopic ultrasonography examination revealed subepithelial lesions of submucosal origin that are <2 cm in size, exhibiting a heterogeneous pattern and hypoechoic appearance, anechoic ductlike structures, and a long/short axis ratio of >1.5 along with central umbilication, the diagnosis of ectopic pancreas should be prioritized.