title: The incidental pancreatic cyst.
abstract: The discovery of a pancreatic cyst in an asymptomatic patient presents an immediate challenge to the interpreting radiologist, the clinician who manages the patient, and patients themselves. When a cyst is discovered on imaging in a patient without symptoms directly referable to the pancreas, the following questions are immediately raised: can the lesion be accurately diagnosed or is the appropriate management clear from the examination, is the best management approach to suggest watchful waiting with follow-up imaging, what is the best method for imaging follow-up, and what is the optimal frequency of follow-up? This article recommends an approach to analyzing patients with incidental pancreatic cysts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. alec.megibow@nyumc.org
authors.forename: Alec J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Megibow
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gore
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010181:Pancreatic Cyst / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D057832:Watchful Waiting