Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy for intrapancreatic accessory spleen: case report.

INTRODUCTION: Accessory spleens can be found in up to 10% of the population, and their intrapancreatic occurrence is considered uncommon. When present, the intrapancreatic accessory spleen is usually found in the tail of the pancreas in about 1.7% of adult individuals. The infrequent presence of the accessory spleen in the pancreatic tissue could lead to inappropriate diagnosis and hence therapeutic approach, as they are commonly presented as a hypervascular node in the tail of the pancreas on abdominal CT and MRI, mimicking a well differentiated tumor of the pancreas or non-functioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor.

CASE OUTLINE: We present a 70-year-old female in whom a preoperative evaluation finding was highly suggestive of a non-functioning neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreatic tail. We performed spleen preserving laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy, and histopathological examination revealed the intrapancreatic accessory spleen.

CONCLUSION: Although infrequent, the presence of the intrapancreatic accessory spleen must be considered in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic tail tumors.