Open AccessStrictures, stones and cysts: an unusual cause of pancreatitis in a 20-month-old female child
Author(s) -
Alina Zufall,
Jeremy P. Middleton,
Sara K. Rasmussen,
Reza Daugherty
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
bmj case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.231
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1757-790X
DOI - 10.1136/bcr-2020-234966
Subject(s) - medicine , choledochal cysts , acute pancreatitis , abdominal pain , pancreatitis , vomiting , jaundice , complication , surgery , abdominal mass , cyst , common bile duct
Choledochal cysts are dilations of the biliary tree that cause a variety of clinical symptoms and can lead to several types of complications. Choledochal cysts are most commonly diagnosed in childhood and frequently present with abdominal pain, jaundice and, in infants, an abdominal mass. Although the most concerning complication is malignant transformation of the cyst epithelium, other complications such as stone formation, acute pancreatitis and stricture can also occur and lead to patient morbidity. Treatment is aimed at not only relieving patient symptoms, but also decreasing a long-term cancer risk. We present a case of a child presenting with abdominal pain and vomiting secondary to a type IVa choledochal cyst complicated by acute pancreatitis, a common bile duct stricture and cystolithiasis.