Cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall in heterotopic pancreas: an atypical case in non-alcoholic female

Cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall in heterotopic pancreas, recently described as paraduodenal pancreatitis, is a rare condition characterized by multiple cysts or pseudocysts located in the submucosa or muscularis propria of a thickened duodenal wall. They result from multiple episodes of obstruction of the small ducts in aberrant pancreatic islets. Cystic dystrophy of the duodenal wall in heterotopic pancreas usually affects alcoholic males, but here we present the case of a female without a history of alcohol abuse who was referred to our emergency department with abdominal pain and vomiting. She was treated by a pancreas-preserving surgical approach, thanks to a proper pre-operative differential diagnosis. Even though differentiating this benign condition from pancreatic cancer is a challenge, some characteristic findings on multidetector CT scan and MRI/MR cholangiopancreatography, such as a thickened duodenal wall containing cysts and sheet-like tissues in the pancreaticoduodenal groove, could lead to the correct diagnosis.