Pancreatic Cysts

Scroll down to find out the possible reasons for the formation of inflammatory or non-inflammatory cysts in the pancreas along with the treatment options for the same.

Pancreas is a glandular organ that is located in the abdominal cavity. This elongated organ is placed behind the stomach, across the back of the abdominal cavity. Pancreas is divided into the head, neck, body, tail and the uncinate process.

This tapered glandular organ performs the vital function of secreting hormones as well as digestive juices. The digestive juices secreted by the pancreas help in breaking down fats and proteins in a form that can be easily assimilated by the body. The pancreatic juice also contains bicarbonate.

Bicarbonate helps in raising the pH of the stomach and thus neutralizes the acidic digestive juices once the gastric juices have finished the task of breaking down food into simpler and easily digestible forms. Any condition that affects the working of this organ is bound to affect the digestive process.

Sometimes pockets of fluid may form within the pancreas. Such pockets of fluid are referred to as pancreatic cysts. In this article, we will look into the causes, symptoms and treatment of fluid-filled cysts in the pancreas.

Cysts that form in the pancreas are usually classified on the basis of their structure or the contents. Cysts may be categorized into true cysts and pseudocysts. True cysts refer to the cysts wherein the fluid within the cysts is secreted from the special layer of cells that line these pockets.

If the diagnostic tests reveal the presence of cysts that are bereft of any such special layer of cells, the cysts are diagnosed as pseudocysts. Though fluid-filled pockets within the pancreas may be benign or cancerous, pseudocysts are usually benign. These may form in an event of trauma to the pancreas.

Trauma could even occur during an abdominal surgery. Generally these cysts consist of inflamed cells, scar tissue or dead pancreatic tissue. At times, these fluid-filled pockets may contain digestive enzymes in a highly concentrated form. People suffering from pancreatitis are definitely at an increased risk of developing such inflammatory pseudocysts.

Pancreatitis, which refers to the inflammation of the pancreas, is most commonly caused due to alcohol abuse. Increased levels of triglycerides in blood, infections or medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis or gallstones also make one highly susceptible to this condition.

While inflammatory pseudocysts are mostly benign in nature, non-inflammatory cysts that may form in the pancreas could also be precancerous, cancerous or benign. Such non-inflammatory cysts are categorized into serous cystadenomas, mucinous cystadenomas, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm and solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas.

While serous cystadenomas are mostly benign, other cysts may be precancerous or malignant. While inflammatory pseudocysts may sometimes be asymptomatic, these may produce symptoms if they get infected or start obstructing the stomach or duodenum.

Symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, bloating, indigestion or fainting spells may be experienced by the patient. Symptoms may be severe in case of a malignant cyst. Malignant cysts must be removed at the earliest.

Now that you have some idea on why cysts may form in the pancreas, let's move on to the diagnosis and treatment options. Imaging procedures such as MRI, ultrasound or CT scan can certainly help in determining the presence of cysts.

An endoscopic ultrasound is a very useful diagnostic test that helps in determining the nature of the cyst. Samples of the tissue or the fluid from the cyst can also be obtained during this procedure.

Samples can be collected by passing specialized thin needles into the cyst through the endoscope. The contents can then be analyzed so as to ascertain whether the cyst is benign, precancerous or cancerous.

A benign cyst may resolve with the help of drug therapy and sometimes, even without treatment. If the cyst is large and symptomatic, surgeons may drain off the fluid. During such a procedure, the surgeon would establish a connection between the cyst and the adjacent organ so as to drain the cyst.

A connection may be created between the cyst and the back wall of stomach, small intestine or the duodenum. These procedures are referred to as cystogastrostomy, cystojejunostomy and cystoduodenostomy respectively.

If there are indications that the cyst may become cancerous in future, then the cyst would have to be removed. Pancreatic cyst removal can prevent the complications that may arise if the cyst ruptures and the contents flow into the abdominal cavity.

Pancreatic cyst surgery is usually recommended for a cyst that is malignant or for symptomatic cysts that are larger than two centimeters in size. Surgeons may either perform the minimally-invasive laparoscopic procedure or an open surgery in order to remove the cyst. At times, a part of the pancreas may have to be removed during the surgery.

Besides the aforementioned treatment options, one would also benefit by complying with the dietary guidelines. This will lower the risk of pancreatitis along with other medical conditions that may stem from inflammation of the pancreas.

If you have been diagnosed with a pseudocyst, the wisest thing to do would be to follow a healthy diet and refrain from excessive consumption of alcohol. This will lower the risk of pancreatitis as well as pseudocysts.

As far as cancerous cysts are concerned, a timely diagnosis and treatment are extremely important so as to prevent complications from arising in the future.