Autoimmune chronic pancreatitis with IgG4-related pancreatic pseudocyst in a patient undergoing total pancreatectomy followed by autologous islet transplantation: a case report

Auto-immune pancreatitis with unusual presentations - A case series

Auto-immune pancreatitis (AIP) is a rare benign disease commonly presented with painless obstructive jaundice and biliary obstruction with rare complications like pseudocyst. We present a case series of two patients of AIP with unusual presentations; one case presented with periorbital swelling, jaundice, and pseudocyst, and the other case presented with abdominal pain and biliary obstruction without jaundice; both showed good response with steroids.

Steroid therapy has an acceptable role as the initial treatment in autoimmune pancreatitis patients with pancreatic cyst formation: Based on a Japanese nationwide study

BACKGROUND

We attempted to determine the indications and limitations of steroid therapy as the first-line therapy in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) with cyst formation (ACF).

METHODS

This Japanese multicenter survey was conducted to examine the merits/demerits of steroid treatment as the initial therapy for ACF.

RESULTS

Data of a total of 115 patients with ACF were analyzed. Complete remission was achieved in 86% (86/100) of patients who had received steroid treatment, but only 33.3% (5/15) of patients who had not received steroids. Relapse after the remission (n = 86) occurred in 7.6% (6/86) of patients who had received steroid therapy, but 40% (2/5) of patients who had not received steroid therapy. Multivariate analysis identified adoption of the wait and watch approach without steroid treatment (odds ratio = 0.126, P < .001) as a significant and independent negative predictor of remission of ACF. As for predictors of relapse, the presence of varix (odds ratio = 5.83, P = .036) was identified as an independent risk factor.

CONCLUSION

Steroid therapy plays an important role as first-line therapy in AIP patients with pancreatic cyst formation, however, varix formation, besides the diameter of the cyst(s), is a risk factor for refractoriness to steroid therapy.

Pancreatic Pseudocysts and Parenchymal Necrosis in Patients With Autoimmune Pancreatitis: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence and natural history of pancreatic pseudocysts (PCs) and parenchymal necrosis in autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP).

METHOD

A search using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane was performed. Search terms were AIP, PC, acute fluid collection, and pancreatic necrosis.

RESULTS

Fifteen studies with 17 patients were included. In 8 of 17 patients, PC was noted concurrently with the AIP diagnosis, whereas in the other half, PC appeared months or years after. In 10 of 17 cases, PC appeared as solitary. The location was variable. Pseudocysts were small (<3 cm) in 4 cases and large (>3 cm) in 13 cases. A normal pancreatic duct was observed in 6 of 17 cases, whereas 9 of 17 had pancreatic duct stenosis. Steroids were given to 4 of 4 small and 10 of 13 large PC. All small PC resolved with steroids, whereas only 4 of 10 large PC treated had some response. Most (9/13) of large PC underwent endoscopic or surgical procedures. None of the 17 cases developed necrosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Pseudocysts in AIP are rare. Pancreatic pseudocyst can present in variable number, size, and location. Small PC resolved with steroids. Large PC had poor response to steroids requiring invasive interventions. Necrosis in AIP has not been reported.

The Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided Drainage for Autoimmune Pancreatitis-associated Pancreatic Cysts: A Report of Five Cases and a Literature Review

Objective Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) has been recognized as a benign disease, which that shows a prompt response to corticosteroid treatment (CST). It was previously believed to not be associated with cyst formation; however, a few cases of AIP-associated pancreatic cyst (PC) have been reported. Some cases were reported to have been effectively treated by CST, while others were refractory to CST. Many of the patients received interventional treatment. Until now, there has been no consensus on the therapeutic strategies for AIP-associated PC. The aim of the present study is to describe a therapeutic strategy for this condition. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 5 cases of AIP-associated PC that were treated by endoscopic ultrasonography-guided pancreatic fluid collection drainage (ESPD) or CST at Tokyo Medical University Hospital between March 2012 and October 2016, analyzed the therapeutic outcomes, and performed a literature review. Results The initial treatments included CST (n=2) and ESPD (n=3). All of the PCs disappeared after treatment In 1 of the patients who received CST case and 3 of the patients who received ESPD; however, the PC did not disappear in one of the patients who received CST (corticosteroid maintenance therapy), even after the dose of corticosteroids was increased; ESPD was eventually performed and the PC disappeared. There were no procedure-related complaints. Conclusion We propose that CST be administered as the first-line treatment for AIP-associated PC, particularly in cases of PC without a history of CST. However, ESPD can be applied to treat cases of corticosteroid refractory PC.

Autoimmune Pancreatitis Type 2: Case Report

A middle-aged man presents with acute pancreatitis of unknown etiology and is found to have a presentation consistent with the diagnosis of type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). AIP is a group of rare heterogeneous diseases that are challenging to diagnose. There are 2 types of AIP. Type 1 disease is the more common worldwide than type 2 AIP. While type 1 AIP is associated with IgG4-positive antibodies, type 2 AIP is IgG4 antibody negative. Both types of AIP are responsive to corticosteroid treatment. Although type 1 AIP has more extrapancreatic manifestations and more commonly relapses, this is a case of a patient with type 2 AIP with inflammatory bowel disease and relapsing course.

Cystic Lesions in Autoimmune Pancreatitis

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) can be chronic or recurrent, but frequently completely reversible after steroid treatment. A cystic lesion in AIP is a rare finding, and it can mimic a pancreatic cystic neoplasm. Difficulties in an exact diagnosis interfere with treatment, and surgery cannot be avoided in some cases. We report the history of a 63-year-old male presenting with jaundice and pruritus. AIP was confirmed by imaging and elevated IgG4 blood levels, and the patient completely recovered after corticosteroid therapy. One year later, he presented with a recurrent episode of AIP with elevated IgG4 levels, accompanied by the appearance of multiple intrapancreatic cystic lesions. All but 1 of these cysts disappeared after steroid treatment, but the remaining cyst in the pancreatic head was even somewhat larger 1 year later. Pancreatoduodenectomy was finally performed. Histology showed the wall of the cystic lesion to be fibrotic; the surrounding pancreatic tissue presented fibrosis, atrophy and lymphoplasmacytic infiltration by IgG4-positive cells, without malignant elements. Our case illustrates the rare possibility that cystic lesions can be part of AIP. These pseudocysts appear in the pancreatic segments involved in the autoimmune disease and can be a consequence of the local inflammation or related to ductal strictures. Steroid treatment should be initiated, after which these cysts can completely disappear with recovery from AIP. Surgical intervention may be necessary in some exceptional cases.

Autoimmune pancreatitis associated with a pancreatic pseudocyst treated by distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy: case report

Autoimmune pancreatitis is a unique type of chronic pancreatitis, which is rarely associated with pseudocyst. A 48-year-old lady was admitted to our department with a rapidly growing cystic mass in the pancreatic tail with an elevated concentration of serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). She had a history of autoimmune pancreatitis and received steroid treatment. Imaging studies demonstrated a cystic mass in the pancreatic tail. The mass kept growing despite restoration of steroid treatment. Eventually, the patient underwent distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy. Histopathological examination revealed the existence of pseudocyst, significant lymphocytic infiltration, and fibrotic change in the pancreatic tail.

Autoimmune pancreatitis associated with pancreatic cyst: how can we manage it?

BACKGROUND

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) with cyst formation (ACF) is often refractory to corticosteroid treatment (CST).

AIM

To determine the characteristic features for the development of ACF.

METHODS

We studied characteristics in AIP patients (n = 116) whether any factors might be related to ACF. Additionally, an individual database of 24 patients was compiled to investigate factors included CST effectiveness.

RESULT

The results of univariate analysis for type 1 AIP patients revealed significant association of ACF with the elevation of pancreatic enzymes, peripancreas vascular involvement (PVI) and varix formation at disease onset (P < 0.05), while multivariate analysis revealed only the absence of varix formation (odds ratio = 0.033, P = 0.0015) as a significant independent predictor of the development of ACF. The comparison of the characteristic features in ACF grouped by the diameter of the cysts revealed that only the effectiveness of the CST was significantly recognized in ACF measuring less than 55 mm in diameter than that with patients in the group with smaller cysts (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The varix formation is an independent predictor of the development of ACF. A pooled analysis indicated that the disease process might be irreversible in AIP patients with large cystic lesions exceeding 55 mm in diameter and those patients tended to show a refractory course even if CST were conducted.