Splenule disguised as pancreatic mass: elucidated with SPECT liver-spleen scintigraphy

Splenules are congenital foci of healthy splenic tissue that are separate from the main body but are structurally identical to the spleen, derived from mesenchymal buds on the left side of the mesogastrium and commonly seen in or near the tail of the pancreas. We report a case of a 58-year-old male who was found to have a pancreatic tail mass on contrast-enhanced abdominal CT, which was similarly disguised as a pancreatic tail mass on both magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and abdominal MRI. A liver spleen scintigraph with Tc sulfur colloid later proved the mass to be a splenule.