Agenesis of Dorsal Pancreas



Agenesis of Dorsal Pancreas


Brooke R. Jeffrey, MD

Michael P. Federle, MD, FACR





Key Facts


Terminology



  • Complete or partial pancreatic agenesis, aplasia, or hypoplasia


Imaging



  • Absence of pancreatic tissue in the expected location of neck, body, and tail segments


  • ERCP: Filling of ventral duct without identifiable dorsal ducts or minor papilla in agenesis of entire dorsal pancreas


  • CT: Short pancreas, normal pancreatic head, absence of tail with complete or partial absence of body


  • MRCP: In complete agenesis of dorsal pancreas, accessory and dorsal duct system are not observed


Top Differential Diagnoses



  • Pancreatic ductal carcinoma



    • Abrupt, irregular obstruction of pancreatic duct seen on ERCP


    • Pancreatic duct dilated upstream from mass


  • Pancreas divisum



    • Contrast injection into minor papilla fills dorsal duct


  • Chronic pancreatitis



    • Parenchyma in body/tail often atrophic


Pathology



  • Associated conditions



    • Complete pancreatic agenesis (very rare); correlated with stillbirth or early neonatal death


    • Polysplenia syndrome (7 cases reported)


    • Bowel malrotation

Tags:
Sep 20, 2016 | Posted by in GENERAL RADIOLOGY | Comments Off on Agenesis of Dorsal Pancreas

Full access? Get Clinical Tree
Get Clinical Tree app for offline access