Introduction. Accessory spleens can be found in up to 10% of the population,
and their intrapancreatic occurrence is considered uncommon. When present,
the intrapancreatic accessory spleen is usually found in the tail of the
pancreas in about 1.7% of adult individuals. The infrequent presence of the
accessory spleen in the pancreatic tissue could lead to inappropriate
diagnosis and hence therapeutic approach, as they are commonly presented as a
hypervascular node in the tail of the pancreas on abdominal CT and MRI,
mimicking a well differentiated tumor of the pancreas or non-functioning
pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. Case Outline. We present a 70-year-old
female in whom a preoperative evaluation finding was highly suggestive of a
non-functioning neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreatic tail. We performed
spleen preserving laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy, and histopathological
examination revealed the intrapancreatic accessory spleen. Conclusion.
Although infrequent, the presence of the intrapancreatic accessory spleen
must be considered in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic tail tumors.
Intrapancreatic accessory spleen with amylodosis mimicking pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor
