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Case Reports
. 2020 Jul 10;15(9):1575-1578.
doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2020.06.041. eCollection 2020 Sep.

Isolated pancreatic tuberculosis mimicking pancreatic cancer in an immunocompetent host: An elusive diagnosis

Imen Jemni  1   2 , Imen Akkari  1   2 , Soumaya Mrabet  1   2 , Elhem Ben Jazia  1   2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Isolated pancreatic tuberculosis mimicking pancreatic cancer in an immunocompetent host: An elusive diagnosis

Imen Jemni et al. Radiol Case Rep. .

Abstract

Isolated pancreatic tuberculosis is a very rare condition, even in areas of the world where the disease is highly prevalent. We report the case of isolated pancreatic tuberculosis in 54-year-old immunocompetent women, presenting as a solid mass of the pancreatic head with multiple lymphadenopathy mimicking a pancreatic carcinoma. The diagnosis was made with endoscopic ultra sound with fine needle aspiration and the treatment with anti-tuberculosis agents allowed the disappearance of the pancreatic mass and the regional lymphadenopathy. This case emphasizes the diagnostic challenge of this disease based on imaging findings because of a wide range of anomalies as carcinoma like masses, cystic lesions, or abscesses, which makes the Endoscopic ultrasound with fine needle aspiration the diagnostic modality of choice for pancreatic tuberculosis providing tissue samples for staining, cytology, culture, and polymerase chain reaction assay. Through this case we show that it is imperative to suspect pancreatic tuberculosis, as an appropriate treatment with antituberculosis drugs allows full recovery and avoids unnecessary surgery.

Keywords: Endoscopic ultra-sound; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic tuberculosis.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
CT scan of the abdomen shows (A, B): a solid ill-defined hypodense mass of the uncinated process (arrow), it is associated with multiple lymphadenopathies, (C) arterial phase shows no enhancement of the mass.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
MRI showing an ill-defined posteriorsolid mass of the head of the pancreas with high signal intensity in the T2 weighted images.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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