Complete and partial agenesis of the dorsal pancreas within one family

Complete agenesis of dorsal pancreas: A rare cause of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACT

We report a 16-year-old boy who presented with abdominal pain and severe hyperglycemia. His random blood glucose on admission was above 300 mg/dL, without ketosis. Urine examination revealed mild ketonuria. Renal function tests were normal. Antibodies to glutamate acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) and islet tyrosine phosphatase 2 (anti-IA2) were negative. Findings on enhanced abdominal computed tomography scan were compatible with complete dorsal pancreatic agenesis. The body and tail of the pancreas were not visualized. Additionally, ectopic and malrotated left kidney was detected. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography confirmed the absence of the dorsal pancreatic duct. The patient was treated with multiple subcutaneous insulin injections and attained good glycemic control. He is currently doing well on follow-up. The present case is a rare combination of complete agenesis of the dorsal pancreas with an ectopic, malrotated kidney. Clinical awareness of this rare association will help improve patient management.

Complete agenesis of dorsal pancreas with pancreatic cyst: A case report

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas (ADP) is extremely rare disease with no specific symptoms and there is no clear pathogenesis. Approximately half of the affected individuals develop diabetes resulting from reduced islet cell mass secondary to lack of endocrine structures. In this case, we aimed to present a 17-year-old female patient with ADP accompanied by a pancreatic cyst.

Partial agenesis of dorsal pancreas. Report of two cases

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Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas is a rare congenital anomaly.

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The possibility of finding this disorder is increasing with the use of advanced radiological techniques.

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Some patients experience no symptoms.

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Rarely, they may also develop pancreatic exocrine insufficiency or pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

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This diagnosis could be missed by US, due to difficulty on visualization of body and tail of pancreas.

Introduction

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas (ADP) is a rare congenital anomaly resulting in missing corpus and cauda of the pancreas. The possibility of finding this disorder is increasing with the use of advanced radiological techniques like CT scan or MRI.

Presentation of case

We reported 2 cases of a partial ADP as radiological finding: the first one was a 79-year-old asymptomatic patient who presented to perform a CT staging scan for bladder tumor, while the second case was a 73-year-old patient with obstructive jaundice and with suspected common bile duct calculi. In the second patient US, CT scan and MRI were performed, and after that also an ERCP was scheduled.

Discussion

The prevalence of agenesis of the dorsal pancreas is not exactly known; in the literature, only 50 cases have been reported. Its cause and pathogenesis are not fully understood. Some patients experience no symptoms, while others may develop hyperglycemia, diabetes mellitus, bile duct obstruction, abdominal pain, pancreatitis, or other conditions.

Conclusion

Considering that dorsal agenesis is sporadically found, often do not have related symptoms and it does not require a specific treatment, whether further examinations are needed to determine the type of agenesis remains questioned.

Two cases of agenesis of the dorsal pancreas and a review of the literature

Background

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas (ADP) is a very rare disease with no specific symptoms, and the pathogenesis is not clear. Some patients will be accompanied by other diseases, such as pancreatic tumor or pancreatitis. But most cases are very atypical and difficult to distinguish. Some syndromes of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency are common in patients with ADP. Here, we report two cases of ADP and summarize the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of ADP.

Case presentation

Case A is a 65-year-old Chinese woman who presented with abdominal pain accompanied by nausea, bloating and acid reflux. The enhanced abdominal CT scan found nothing meaningful except the absence of the body and tail of the pancreas. The diagnosis was considered as gastrointestinal dysfunction cause by exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and recovered after symptomatic treatment. Case B is a 61-year-old Chinese woman who presented with abdominal pain accompanied by fever, vomiting and bloating. The abdominal CT showed multiple stones in the gallbladder, and the body and tail of the patient’s pancreas were absent. She was diagnosed with cholelithiasis and recovered after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Conclusion

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas (ADP) is a rare congenital disease with an unclear pathogenesis that presents multiple symptoms. It should be considered when the patients have non-specific, persistent and unexplained symptoms such as bloating or uncontrolled blood sugar. Imaging examination is helpful for diagnosis. And it does not require surgical intervention unless it accompanies other diseases, EPI need to be considered when the non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms appear.

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas: systematic review of a clinical challenge

BACKGROUND

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas is a rare malformation. Since 1911 and until 2008, 53 cases have been reported. Several authors have recently described the association of this anomaly with neoplasia of the ventral pancreas, thus we performed a systematic review of the literature from 2008 to 2015.

METHODS

A systematic review of the MedLine and ISI Web of Science Databases from 2008 until 2015 was carried out, and 30 articles which met the inclusion criteria were identified that included a total of 53 patients: 7 children and 46 adults.

CONCLUSIONS

Although dorsal pancreatic agenesis is a rare malformation, given its association with non-alcoholic pancreatitis and neoplasia of the residual pancreas, physicians should maintain an expectant attitude.

Incidentally Detected Agenesis of Dorsal Pancreas on PET/CT: Case Report and Review of Literature

Agenesis of Dorsal Pancreas (ADP) is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by the absence of body and tail of pancreas. We report a case of incidentally detected ADP on Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) component of Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG PET/CT) in a treated case of carcinoma (Ca) tongue with suspected local recurrence. Dependent Intestine Sign, hallmark of ADP on CECT imaging was noted in our patient.

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas associated with mucinous adenocarcinoma and cystic teratoma: a case report and literature review

Dorsal agenesis of the pancreas is a rare congenital anomaly. Fifty‐eight cases were reported from 1913 till 2015, nine of which were associated with tumors. We present the 10th case, the first to be associated with pancreatic mucinous adenocarcinoma and cystic teratoma, successfully managed by Whipple procedure and total pancreatectomy.

Selective agenesis of pancreatic isthmus parenchyma with preservation of main pancreatic duct continuity, a very rare entity: Case report

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Pancreatic congenital anomalies are not infrequent.

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A rare selective agenesis of pancreatic parenchyma is presented.

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Neoplastic lesions should always been considered in case of pancreatic congenital anomalies.

Context

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas is a rare anomaly, mostly associated with other medical conditions. It may be complicated with pancreatic neoplasms.

Case report

We report the case of a 51-year-old male with selective agenesis of pancreatic isthmus with preservation of main pancreatic duct and branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (BD-IPMN) with suspicious features of the pancreas.

Conclusion

This is probably the first report of isolated agenesis of pancreatic isthmus with conservation of main pancreatic duct.

Giant mucinous cystic adenoma with pancreatic atrophy mimicking dorsal agenesis of the pancreas

Mucinous cystic adenoma (MCA) of the pancreas is a rare benign cystic tumor with ovarian-like stroma and lack of communication with the pancreatic ductal system. The ovarian tissue is incorporated from the left gonad within the dorsal pancreas during embryogenesis. Consequently, congenital dorsal agenesis of the pancreas (DAP) cannot be associated with MCA. We report the case of a giant MCA associated with atrophy of the dorsal pancreas mimicking complete DAP. Pancreato-magnetic resonance imaging failed to identify the dorsal pancreas but the absence of diabetes mellitus and compression of the splenic vein with major tributaries rectified the diagnosis of secondary atrophy of the distal pancreas. Unusual proximal location of the cyst in the pancreas may have induced chronic obstruction of both the dorsal pancreatic duct and the splenic vein, with secondary atrophy of the distal pancreas.

Polysplenia syndrome with congenital agenesis of dorsal pancreas presenting as acute pancreatitis and the role of endoscopic ultrasonography in its diagnosis

A 49-year-old female was admitted to our hospital for acute pancreatitis. The abdomen CT scan incidentally showed midline liver with hepatomegaly, centrally located gallbladder, pancreas truncation, right sided small bowel, left sided large bowel, interruption of the inferior vena cava with azygos continuation, preduodenal portal vein, and multiple spleens in the left upper quadrant. In MRCP, the head of pancreas was enlarged and short main pancreatic duct without accessory duct was showed. EUS revealed enlarged ventral pancreas with a main pancreatic duct of normal caliber, absence of the accessory pancreatic duct and the dorsal pancreas. She was diagnosed as polysplenia syndrome with agenesis of dorsal pancreas. It is a rare congenital anomaly frequently associated with various visceral anomalies including multiple spleens, impaired visceral lateralization, congenital heart diseases, gastrointestinal abnormalities and azygos continuation of the inferior vena cava. We report a case of polysplenia syndrome with agenesis of dorsal pancreas presenting acute pancreatitis.

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas and its association with pancreatic tumors

Morphogenesis of the pancreas is a complex process; nevertheless, congenital anomalies are rare. At embryogenesis, the pancreas develops from the endoderm-lined dorsal and ventral buds of the duodenum. The ventral bud gives rise to the lower head and uncinate process of the pancreas; whereas, the dorsal bud gives rise to the upper head, isthmus, body, and tail of the pancreas. Rarely, developmental failure of the dorsal pancreatic bud at embryogenesis results in the agenesis of the dorsal pancreas--neck, body, and tail. Even rarer is the association of pancreatic tumors with agenesis of the dorsal pancreas. In addition to citing our case, we provide a comprehensive review on agenesis of the dorsal pancreas and its association with pancreatic tumors.

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas and associated diseases

BACKGROUND

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas is a very rare congenital pancreatic malformation and is associated with some other diseases.

METHODS

A PubMed search revealed 53 cases of agenesis of the dorsal pancreas.

RESULTS

In 28 patients with this congenital malformation hyperglycemia was demonstrated, 27 had abdominal pain, 16 had pancreatitis, 14 had an enlarged or prominent pancreatic head visible on computed tomography, and in a few cases, polysplenia, which may occur with various congenital anomalies of visceral organs, was described.

CONCLUSIONS

Difficulties involved in obtaining a firm diagnosis have led to a variety of terms being used to describe this congenital disease. Diagnosis of agenesis of the dorsal pancreas is inconclusive without demonstration of the absence of the dorsal pancreatic duct. Here we describe the embryological development of the pancreas, the so-far known cases of agenesis of the dorsal pancreas with associated medical problems, and the diagnostic measures to find the right conclusions.

Lack of pancreatic body and tail in HNF1B mutation carriers

AIMS

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1B (HNF1B) gene mutation carriers have a systemic disease characterized by congenital malformations in the urogenital tract, diabetes mellitus of maturity-onset diabetes of the young type and dysfunction of the liver and exocrine pancreas. We aimed to investigate pancreatic structure and exocrine function in carriers of HNF1B mutations.

METHODS

We studied five subjects from two families with the previously reported mutation R137_K161del and the novel mutation F148L in HNF1B. All patients underwent computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). We measured faecal elastase and serum vitamins D and E.

RESULTS

One of the mutation carriers reported abdominal symptoms. All five subjects had faecal elastase deficiency, three had vitamin D deficiency and two had vitamin E deficiency. Neither CT nor MRCP depicted tissue corresponding to the pancreatic body and tail in the five mutation carriers, indicating agenesis of the dorsal pancreas. The head of the pancreas was slightly atrophic but had normal X-ray attenuation at CT in all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Agenesis of the pancreatic body and tail and pancreatic exocrine dysfunction are parts of the phenotype in HNF1B mutation carriers. This strengthens the evidence for a critical role of HNF1B in development and differentiation of at least the dorsal pancreas.

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas: a case report and review of the literature

Partial or complete agenesis of the dorsal pancreas is a rare congenital anomaly that results from the embryological failure of the dorsal pancreatic bud to form the body and tail of the pancreas. To date, four cases have been reported in Korea. We report an additional case; a 25-year-old woman presented with diabetes mellitus and abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a normal-appearing pancreatic head, but the body and tail were not visualized. Endoscopic cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP) revealed a short pancreatic duct in the uncinate process and the head and the duct of Santorini draining into the minor papilla. Abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were similar to the CT and ERCP results. The patient was diagnosed with partial agenesis of the dorsal pancreas by CT, ERCP and MRI.

Hepatic glucose metabolism in humans--its role in health and disease

The liver is mainly responsible for maintaining normal concentrations of blood glucose by its ability to store glucose as glycogen and to produce glucose from glycogen breakdown or gluconeogenic precursors. During the last decade, new techniques have made it possible to gain further insight into the turnover of hepatic glucose and glycogen in humans. Hepatic glycogen varies from approximately 200 to approximately 450 mM between overnight fasted and postprandial conditions. Patients with type-1 diabetes (T1DM), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) or partial agenesis of the pancreas exhibit increased endogenous glucose production and synthesize only 25-45% of hepatic glycogen compared with non-diabetic humans. This defect can be partly restored in T1DM by combined long- and short-term optimized treatment with insulin. In T2DM, increased gluconeogenesis was identified as the main cause of elevated glucose production and fasting hyperglycaemia. These patients also exhibit augmented intracellular lipid accumulation which could hint at a link between deranged glucose and lipid metabolism in insulin-resistant states.

Reduction of hepatic glycogen synthesis and breakdown in patients with agenesis of the dorsal pancreas

In a family with agenesis of the dorsal pancreas only the mother presents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, whereas her sons are glucose tolerant. We examined whether metabolic defects can be detected early in this disease. Plasma glucose profiles were obtained from patients with dorsal pancreas agenesis and from matched healthy subjects. Hepatic glycogen synthesis and breakdown were determined from the time course of glycogen concentrations using noninvasive (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Gluconeogenesis was calculated from the difference between glucose production (measured with D-[6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose) and glycogen breakdown. Frequently sampled iv glucose tolerance tests were performed to assess insulin secretion and sensitivity. The mean plasma glucose level was higher (12.9 +/- 0.4 vs. 5.9 +/- 0.1 mmol/liter), whereas the peak plasma insulin level was lower (236 vs. 397 +/- 23 pmol/liter) in the diabetic mother than in her nondiabetic sons and healthy subjects. In all patients, however, glycogen synthesis and breakdown were reduced by approximately 55% (P < 0.05) and 40% (P < 0.02), respectively. Gluconeogenesis (6.8 +/- 0.8 vs. 4.2 +/- 0.3 micro mol/kg.min; P < 0.05) and hepatic insulin clearance (6.8 +/- 1.3 vs. 2.8 +/- 1.0 ml/kg.min) were increased in all patients. In conclusion, patients with complete agenesis of the dorsal pancreas exhibit marked defects in hepatic glycogen metabolism, which are present even in the nondiabetic offspring.

Biliary obstruction due to duodenojejunal intussusception in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome

We report a 58-year-old woman with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and episodic abdominal pain over a period of 30 years, possibly due to recurrent duodenojejunal intussusception, which eventually led to complete duodenal and biliary obstruction and associated mesothelioma.