Endoscopic Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Pancreatoduodenal Groove Pathology: Report of Three Cases and Brief Review of the Literature
- Author:
Inés C ORÍA
1
;
Juan E PIZZALA
;
Augusto M VILLAVERDE
;
Juan C SPINA
;
Analía V PASQUA
;
Julio C LAZARTE
;
Oscar M MAZZA
;
Mariano M MARCOLONGO
Author Information
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords: Pancreatoduodenal groove; Endoscopic ultrasound; Fine needle aspiration; Pancreatic cancer; Groove pancreatitis
- MeSH: Ampulla of Vater; Bile Ducts; Biopsy, Fine-Needle; Cohort Studies; Diagnosis; Duodenum; Head; Humans; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Pathologic Processes; Pathology; Ultrasonography
- From:Clinical Endoscopy 2019;52(2):196-200
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: The pancreatoduodenal groove is a small area where pathologic processes involving the distal bile duct, duodenum, pancreatic head, ampulla of Vater, and retroperitoneum converge. Despite great advances in imaging techniques, a definitive preoperative diagnosis is challenging because of the complex anatomy of this area. Therefore, surgical intervention is frequently required because of the inability to completely exclude malignancy. We report 3 cases of patients with different groove pathologies but similar clinical and imaging presentation, and show the essential role of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in making a specific preoperative diagnosis, excluding malignancy in the first case, changing diagnosis in the second case, and confirming malignancy in the third case. EUS was a fundamental tool in this cohort of patients, not only because of its ability to provide superior visualization of a difficult anatomical region, but because of the ability to guide precise, real-time procedures, such as fine-needle aspiration.
