Adult pancreatic hemangioma: a rare case report and literature review

BACKGROUND: Adult pancreatic hemangioma is an extremely rare type of benign vascular tumor. To date, about 20 cases have been reported in the English literature. Adult patients with pancreatic hemangiomas usually have no specific symptoms, particularly in early stages. Therefore, it is difficult to detect and diagnose these lesions, which usually are identified during cross sectional imaging for an apparently unrelated causes or when biliary obstruction occurs because of compression by a tumor. CASE PRESENTATION: This study presents the case of a 52-year-old female with a chief complaint of epigastric pain. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a well-defined mass with mildly inhomogeneous enhancement in the body of the pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasonography showed calcifications in the lesion, and a few small vessels were detected by Doppler imaging. The patient received a central pancreatectomy, and pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of pancreatic hemangioma. CONCLUSION: In this report, we reviewed the clinical manifestations, radiologic features, preoperative diagnosis, pathologic characteristics, and surgical treatment of adult pancreatic hemangioma.