Ansa Pancreatica, an Uncommon Cause of Acute, Recurrent Pancreatitis

The pancreatic duct is vulnerable to developmental anomalies which may produce variations in its course and/or its configuration. Ansa pancreatica is the least common anatomic variant. It is characterized by the formation of an “S-shaped loop” from the main pancreatic duct to the minor papilla. Ansa pancreatica has been implicated as a cause of recurrent acute pancreatitis. We review existing literature on pancreatitis secondary to the ansa deformity and present a case of recurrent acute pancreatitis in a patient who was ultimately found to have the ansa deformity on endoscopic ultrasound.

A Case Report-Endoscopic Treatments of 47 Incomplete Pancreatic Divisum (IPD) Cases in our Hospital – Special Emphasis on our New Procedures: Rendezvous Pre-Cut Method and Reverse Balloon Dilation Method

We have treated 47 cases of incomplete pancreatic divisum (IPD) in theses 7 years. They were classified by the modified“Hirooka’s classification”— stenotic fusion type I / II, ansa pancreatica type, branch fusion type I / II / III, and one was unclassified. 36 cases were treated by ESWL and/or endoscopy. In difficult cases, we performed our new endoscopic procedures-rendezvous precut method and reverse balloon dilation method, with good results. The therapeutic success rate of IPD via major papilla was 100% (10/10) and via minor papilla 96% (24/25) without severe complications. After endoscopic treatment, the prognosis was good in 32, fair in 3 and one had an operation. In calcified IPD cases, endoscopic treatments were performed many times by stone and pain relapse, and EPS is still placed in 24 cases.

Ansa pancreatica: a rare cause of acute recurrent episode in chronic pancreatitis

Ansa pancreatica is a rare anatomic variation of pancreatic ducts. It is a predisposing factor of recurrent pancreatitis. In this case report, we describe a case of a 24-year-old male suffering from an ansa pancreatica with a non-patent major papilla, diagnosed on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP).The ansa pancreatica was revealed by an episode of acute pancreatitis attacks in chronic pancreatitis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) confirmed important abrupt dilation in the main pancreatic duct with an ansa loop in the pancreatic duct in the head of the pancreas, and a sphincterotomy of the minor papilla was performed. The procedure was difficult and the placement of a long-term pancreatic stent during the ERCP was impossible, thus a surgical pancreatico-jejunostomy was proposed as a treatment of an ansa pancreatica with a non-patent major papilla.