[Groove pancreatitis and its differential diagnosis with pancreatic adenocarcinoma]

We analyzed the clinical, radiographic and histologic characteristics, as well as the difficulties that arose in the differential diagnosis between groove pancreatitis (a benign entity consisting of a segmental form of chronic pancreatitis occurring as a sheet-like scar in the area of pancreatoduodenal groove) and adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. To this end, four cases with abnormalities in the groove area were retrospectively reviewed, three with groove pancreatitis, and one with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. The important role of imaging techniques is highlighted, with emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging of the pancreas and magnetic resonance cholangiography, which reveal certain differentiating characteristics between these two entities. However, distinguishing between these entities is often difficult, and sometimes impossible. Consequently, cyto-histological study is always required.