Endoscopic Ultrasonography Findings in Autoimmune Pancreatitis: Be Aware of the Ambiguous Features and Look for the Pivotal Ones

Stefania De Lisi; Elisabetta Buscarini; Paolo Giorgio Arcidiacono; Mara Petrone; Fernanda Menozzi; Pier Alberto Testoni; Alessandro Zambelli

doi:10.6092/1590-8577/3879

Stefania De Lisi Chair and Unit of Gastroenterology, Di.Bi.M.I.S., University of Palermo. Palermo, Italy
Elisabetta Buscarini Department of Gastroenterology, ‘Maggiore’ Hospital. Crema (CR), Italy
Paolo Giorgio Arcidiacono Department of Gastroenterology, I.R.C.C.S ‘San Raffaele’, ‘Vita e Salute San Raffaele’ University. Milan, Italy
Mara Petrone Department of Gastroenterology, I.R.C.C.S ‘San Raffaele’, ‘Vita e Salute San Raffaele’ University. Milan, Italy
Fernanda Menozzi Department of Gastroenterology, ‘Maggiore’ Hospital. Crema (CR), Italy
Pier Alberto Testoni Department of Gastroenterology, I.R.C.C.S ‘San Raffaele’, ‘Vita e Salute San Raffaele’ University. Milan, Italy
Alessandro Zambelli Department of Gastroenterology, ‘Maggiore’ Hospital. Crema (CR), Italy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6092/1590-8577/3879

Keywords: Autoimmunity, Endosonography, Pancreatitis

Abstract

Autoimmune pancreatitis is a form of chronic pancreatitis caused by an autoimmune process. The classical appearance of autoimmune pancreatitis in abdominal imaging is diffuse pancreatic enlargement, but the focal form appears as a mass and often involves the pancreatic head; this scenario represents a challenging diagnostic problem because these features also resemble pancreatic cancer. We present the endoscopic ultrasound findings of seven patients with autoimmune pancreatitis in order to highlight the ambiguous features and the features pivotal for the diagnosis.

Image: Hypoechoic focal lesion of the pancreatic head at radial scanning EUS.

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