Cystsic Lesions of the Pancreas

Pancreatic cysts (PCs) are being increasingly detected due to the widespread use of high-resolution abdominal imaging. The main imaging modalities to diagnose PCs include high-resolution spiral CT scan, MRI, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). EUS has the added benefit of enabling cyst fluid sampling through FNA and significantly improves clinical diagnosis of PCs. Some PCs like pseudocysts, serous cystadenomas, and lymphoepethelial cysts are entirely benign lesions and can be managed non-operatively. However, other lesions like mucinous cystic neoplasms, or cystic neuroendocrine tumors are pre-malignant or malignant lesions and require surgical intervention. In this review, we describe diagnosis and management of common pancreatic cystic lesions