Pancreatic Pseudocyst
A Pancreatic Pseudocyst is essentially a collection of fluid and debris that forms near or around the pancreas. While they can happen after a severe episode of acute pancreatitis, they are much more common in people with chronic pancreatitis.
What are the Symptoms?
Many pseudocysts are small and cause no trouble, but when they do cause symptoms, they can include:
- Abdominal pain.
- Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin and eyes, which happens if the cyst presses on the bile duct.
- Vomiting.
- Fever: This is a sign that the pseudocyst has become infected.
- Drop in Hemoglobin: If there is bleeding inside the cyst, a patient may experience a decrease in their red blood cell count.
Treatment Options:
The approach to treating a pseudocyst depends heavily on its behavior and whether it is causing problems:
- Observation: Cysts that are not causing any symptoms (asymptomatic) can often be simply monitored.
- No Treatment Needed: If a cyst is naturally shrinking in size, it generally does not require any intervention.
- Drainage: If a pseudocyst is causing symptoms or continues to grow or persist, it usually needs to be drained.
- Endoscopic or EUS-Guided Drainage: This is a preferred, minimally invasive method where a tube (drain) is placed into the cyst using an endoscope or guided by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).
- Percutaneous Drainage: This method, where a drain is placed through the skin, is typically reserved for cysts that cannot be safely reached or drained endoscopically.