Ectopic pancreas: An uncommon cause of recurrent abdominal pain

Abstract

Ectopic pancreas is a disease where pancreatic tissue occurs outside its normal anatomic location, without vascular continuity. Symptoms for this condition may depend on the localization of the ectopic tissue and originate from either mass effect or inflammation. The diagnosis of ectopic pancreas can be challenging due to its rarity and nonspecific symptoms. Herein, we report a case of recurrent abdominal pain diagnosed with gastric ectopic pancreas of uncommon size in an uncommon location. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy revealed a large gastric polyp and endoscopic needle biopsy only identified normal gastric mucosa. However, computed tomography imaging revealed a protruding mass that, upon excision, was identified as ectopic pancreatic tissue. Two different pathological findings arose from two different sampling methods, leading us to the conclusion that ectopic pancreas should always be considered in the diagnosis of a GI tumor.

Keywords

• abdominal pain
• ectopic pancreas
• gastric tumor