Pancreatic mass with an unusual pathology: a case report

Intra-abdominal abscesses formation in patients with no preceding symptoms is rare. Infection of the pancreas occurs in 5-9% of patients with acute pancreatitis, more commonly as a complication of necrotising or severe pancreatitis. We have reported a case of a 64-year-old almost entirely asymptomatic man who underwent a Whipple's procedure following extensive investigation of a pancreatic mass. The pathology and histology showed no evidence of malignancy, and instead a true pancreatic abscess, centred around an impacted cholesterol calculus in the distal CBD. Of suspicious pancreatic masses that are resected, chronic choledocholithiasis is the aetiology in less than 5% of nonmalignant or "false positives." This report describes such a case.