title: Magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography for diagnosis and pre-interventional evaluation of a fluid thoracic mass.
abstract: Differential diagnoses of various types of thoracic cystic masses are a prerequisite for appropriate management strategies. Mediastinal pancreatic pseudocysts are rare but life-threatening complications of pancreatitis. They may appear as a thoracic mass on X-rays and need to be differentiated from other lesions. This report demonstrates that magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography, which is not included in current algorithms, is a valuable diagnostic tool in such cases. We summarize the advantages and disadvantages of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography and show how pre-interventional identification of pancreatic origin and exclusion of necrotic debris guided the therapeutic management of the patient. However, after 3 weeks of successful percutaneous drainage, infectious complications necessitated surgical intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Technology Aachen, Germany. ageier@ukaachen.de
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Geier
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lammert
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gartung
authors.forename: Huan N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Joachim E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Wildberger
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matern
mesh_terms: D002758:Cholangiography / Q000379:methods*; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008477:Mediastinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D010192:Pancreatic Pseudocyst / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery