Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan-Feb;36(1):61-67.
doi: 10.20524/aog.2023.0760. Epub 2022 Nov 15.

Pancreatic endometriosis: a systematic review

Ioannis D Gkegkes  1   2 , Alexandros Fotiou  3 , Vasileios K Mavroeidis  4 , Ioannis N Gerogiannis  5 , Christos Iavazzo  3
Affiliations

Pancreatic endometriosis: a systematic review

Ioannis D Gkegkes et al. Ann Gastroenterol. 2023 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Background: Extrapelvic manifestations of endometriosis can be identified in nearly every part of the female body, and the true prevalence of extrapelvic locations is unknown. Pancreatic endometriosis may manifest in several ways, ranging from emergency presentations to asymptomatic cysts.

Method: A systematic PubMed and Scopus search was conducted.

Results: Eighteen patients from 17 case reports were included. The patients' mean age was 39.3 (range: 21-72) years. An emergency presentation was noted in 8 of the 18 (44.4%) patients. Menstrual irregularity was present in 3 (16.7%) patients, while in 3 (16.7%) cases there was simultaneous presence of endometriosis elsewhere. The most frequent symptoms at presentation of pancreatic endometrial cysts were epigastric pain, acute left upper quadrant pain, back pain, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, which occurred in 12 (66.7%), 11 (61.1%), 4 (22.2%), and 6 (33.3%) patients, respectively. Only one case presented as an asymptomatic pancreatic cyst. The maximum diameter of the endometrial cysts ranged from 1-16 cm. In the majority of cases, surgical treatment was offered (16/18, 88.9%). Recurrence of pancreatic endometrial cyst occurred in one case only, following needle aspiration of the endometrial cyst. No fatality was reported.

Conclusions: Review of the available published literature suggests that pancreatic endometriosis is a rare condition that should be included in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic masses. Further clinical and experimental studies are necessary to investigate the pathogenesis of extrapelvic and pancreatic endometriosis.

Keywords: Pancreas; abdominal mass; endometrial cyst; endometriosis; pancreatic endometriosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram showing the detailed process of selection of articles for inclusion in the review
Figure 2
Figure 2
A simplified algorithm for the clinical approach to diagnosis CT, computed tomography; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; FNA, fine-needle aspiration
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Howard JM. Cystic neoplasms and true cysts of the pancreas. Surg Clin North Am. 1989;69:651–665. - PubMed
    1. Lee DS, Baek JT, Ahn BM, et al. A case of pancreatic endometrial cyst. Korean J Intern Med. 2002;17:266–269. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bulletti C, Coccia ME, Battistoni S, Borini A. Endometriosis and infertility. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2010;27:441–447. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Andres MP, Arcoverde FVL, Souza CCC, Fernandes LFC, Abrão MS, Kho RM. Extrapelvic endometriosis:a systematic review. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2020;27:373–389. - PubMed
    1. Nisolle M, Pasleau F, Foidart JM. [Extragenital endometriosis. J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod (Paris) 2007;36:173–178. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources