29-year-old boy diagnosed with pseudocysts had mistakenly thought it was a recurrence of pancreatitis

(Disclaimer: This article is for scientific use only, and the information in the following content has been processed to protect patient privacy.) Abstract: The patient was a 29-year-old man who had acute pancreatitis 1 year ago. 3 days ago, the patient presented to our hospital with abdominal pain with no obvious cause, predominantly in the left upper abdomen, with a feeling of cramping and fullness after eating. Through abdominal ultrasound and CT, enhanced scan did not show enhancement or mild enhancement of the cyst wall, suggesting pancreatic pseudocyst formation. After surgical treatment, the pseudocyst disappeared and the abdominal discomfort disappeared, and the treatment result was good. The patient was treated with surgery (laparoscopic cyst-gastric anastomosis) and was hospitalized for 2 weeks after surgery and reviewed 1 month later. Three days ago, the patient presented to our hospital with abdominal pain with no obvious cause, mainly in the left upper abdomen, accompanied by a feeling of cramping, loss of appetite, and a feeling of fullness after eating, and B ultrasound showed that a cystic mass measuring about 100mm×100mm×150mm was detected in the tail area of the pancreas, with clear borders and internal separation. The abdominal CT examination showed that the tail part of the pancreatic body was enlarged, with abnormal morphology and uneven density, and a mass-like low-density shadow was seen, which seemed to be separated within the area of about 106mm×104mm×152mm. Enhancement scan did not show enhancement or mild enhancement of the cyst wall, suggesting pancreatic pseudocyst formation. The patient was very scared after hospitalization and thought that he had a tumor in the pancreas because he heard that the prognosis of pancreatic tumors is not good in general. We informed him that it is actually a benign cyst formed when the pancreatic fluid of the pancreas flows to the surrounding area, and told the patient and his family that they can take puncture drains, which can reduce the risk of surgery but can cause long-term disease, or take gastric cyst anastomosis surgery which can be done through minimally invasive surgery. Surgery and no scarring, the patient accepts the surgical plan. After completing the relevant preoperative examination and excluding contraindications, “laparoscopic cyst-gastric anastomosis” was performed under general anesthesia. After the operation, piperacillin antibiotics were given to prevent infection, and the gastric tube was removed after 1 week and the patient was discharged after 2 weeks of postoperative hospitalization. After the laparoscopic cyst-gastric anastomosis, the patient’s upper abdominal discomfort gradually improved, and he was discharged on the second day after surgery. One month later, the pseudocysts in the abdominal cavity disappeared on outpatient CT, the abdominal discomfort disappeared, the diet was normal, and there was no obvious scar on the abdomen, so the surgical result was very good. IV. Precautions We are glad that the patient’s symptoms have improved after treatment, but we still need to remind the patient to pay attention to some matters in daily life. Patients with pancreatic pseudocysts need to have a reasonable and balanced diet after surgery to ensure the normal intake of nutrients in the body. The diet is mainly low-fat, high-protein and high-fiber, while foods with high cholesterol should be avoided as much as possible, such as animal offal, egg yolk and nut foods, because such foods can stimulate the secretion of pancreatic juice and slow down the healing of the cyst wall. After each diet, exercise properly to prevent infection caused by food residues entering the bursa. In addition, attention should be paid to keep the bowels open to prevent constipation. After the operation, we should review the abdominal CT at the outpatient clinic for 1 month, 6 months and 1 year, and visit the hospital in time if there are symptoms of abdominal discomfort. V. Personal insight Pancreatic pseudocysts are mostly secondary to acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic injury, etc., forming cystic encapsulation of the cyst wall by fibroblastic granulation tissue. The patient in this case is a patient with long-term hyperlipidemic pancreatitis, and recurrent pancreatitis leads to the formation of pseudocysts. Preventing recurrent episodes of pancreatitis is the key to preventing this disease. Some patients with pseudocysts can absorb themselves in 6 weeks to 1 year, without serious complications such as progressive cyst enlargement, infection, bleeding, cholangitis and gastrointestinal obstruction, without surgery, but need regular review of ultrasound or CT. pancreatic pseudocysts have the possibility of malignant change, and a follow-up period of 6 months to 1 year is appropriate. In general, cysts with a diameter of >6 cm and a duration of >6 weeks and serious complications require surgery. Surgical treatment is effective and has few complications, and the main surgical options are: internal drainage, external drainage, and surgical resection. The most commonly used internal drainage, i.e., cyst-gastric anastomosis, was chosen in this case, and the patient’s postoperative cyst disappeared with a relatively obvious surgical effect, but it is still important to inform that the recurrence rate of pancreatic pseudocysts after surgery is 10%, and patients still need to pay attention to diet control after surgery to avoid recurrent episodes of pancreatitis, and to be reviewed regularly.