Intrapancreatic accessory spleen mimicking endocrine tumor of the pancreas: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Accessory spleen is an anomaly that is observed in about 10% of individuals by the autopsy study, and most accessory spleens are located close to the splenic hilum. Although accessory spleen is a frequently encountered entity, intrapancreatic accessory spleen (IPAS) is rarely recognized radiologically and is sometimes mistaken for another type of pancreatic neoplasm. Only 10 IPAS cases surgically resected as solid pancreatic mass have been reported in the English literature. We herein report a case of IPAS mimicking an endocrine tumor of the pancreas and review of the literature.