Spontaneous healing after conservative treatment of isolated grade IV pancreatic duct disruption caused by trauma: A case report

BACKGROUND: Trauma is a common cause of pancreatic duct disruption. Surgical treatment is recommended in current clinical guidelines for adult pancreatic injury because non-surgical treatments have higher risks of serious complications or even death compared with surgical treatment. CASE SUMMARY: A 22-year-old woman was admitted to Tiantai People’s Hospital of Zhejiang Province after 1-h duration of abdominal pain and distension following trauma. The diagnosis was “traumatic pancreatic rupture”. The patient’s symptoms were not severe, her vital signs were stable, and signs of peritonitis were not obvious. Therefore, conservative treatment could be considered, with the possibility of emergency surgery if necessary. After 2 mo of conservative treatment with duct drainage, the pancreatic duct healed spontaneously with no significant complications. CONCLUSION: We report a case of pancreatic duct disruption in the head and neck caused by trauma that was treated conservatively and healed spontaneously, providing a new choice for clinical practice. For isolated pancreatic injury with rupture of the pancreatic duct in the head and neck, conservative treatment under close observation is feasible.