title: A two-year old boy with recurrent bouts of acute abdominal pain.
abstract: In a small number of patients with pancreas divisum (with stenotic minor papilla) a relative obstruction to pancreatic exocrine secretory flow results in pancreatitis. We report a 2-year-old boy presenting with recurrent bouts of abdominal pain. The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis was made based on blood biochemistry results. Ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed several abdominal pseudocysts, peritoneal exsudate and confirmed pancreatitis but initially failed to reveal the aetiology. Ascites and cysts contained pancreatic enzymes. After weeks of combined conservative and surgical treatment, a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography with secretin, showed a pancreas divisum with a cyst between the ducts of Santorini and Wirsung. Based on these findings, two endoscopic papillotomies (minor and major papilla) were performed. Three years follow-up was uneventful. In a child with recurrent pancreatitis or pancreatitis with chronic recurrent abdominal pain it is crucial to search aggressively for congenital abnormalities, including pancreas divisum. Secretin-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography or diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging is a valuable diagnostic tool for visualizing pancreatic duct anatomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Queen Paola Children's Hospital-ZNA, Antwerp, Belgium. hsablom@hotmail.com
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Blom
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bochner
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vervloessem
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Desimpelaere
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Devière
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Veereman-Wauters
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D000208:Acute Disease; D002675:Child, Preschool; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010179:Pancreas / Q000002:abnormalities*; D010181:Pancreatic Cyst / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012008:Recurrence