Pancreatic endometrioma in a post-menopausal woman: A rare differential diagnosis for cystic lesions of the pancreas

Background

Although endometriosis is a relatively common condition affecting women, pancreatic endometriosis remains rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature. The primary challenges this condition poses today are its inability to be diagnosed radiologically and the difficulty in distinguishing it from other cystic lesions of the pancreas preoperatively.

Methods

This report presents a case of a 53-year-old female patient with 3 months long left upper quadrant pain and no previous medical history. Imaging revealed an enlarging cyst in the tail of the pancreas, with findings suggestive of a mucinous neoplasm.

Results

The patient underwent a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. Histopathological analysis confirmed the presence of endometrial stroma.

Conclusions

Considering the possibility of pancreatic endometriosis may help avoid extensive surgery. However, as the definite diagnosis of endometriosis remains histopathological, surgical resection continues to be the treatment of choice if malignancy is suspected.