title: Imaging findings in agenesis of the dorsal pancreas. Report of three cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas is rare. The dorsal pancreatic agenesis is described in two forms, the partial and the complete form.
  
  
  METHODS
  with this anomaly may be asymptomatic or may present with diabetes mellitus, epigastric pain, acute or chronic pancreatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) findings in three cases with dorsal pancreatic agenesis, one with partial and the other two with complete form. Speckled calcification at pancreatic head was observed in one patient. Lateral contour lobulation of pancreatic head which is seen in one third of normal population is believed to be due to variation in fusion between ventral and dorsal pancreas. In contrast, we observed lateral contour lobulation of pancreatic head in a case of complete agenesis of the dorsal pancreas where structures derived from dorsal pancreas are undeveloped. The ventral and dorsal pancreatic duct lengths were measured on MRCP images and we observed that in partial agenesis, the duct of Wirsung was shorter in length, compared to the duct of Santorini. The duct of Wirsung was relatively longer in cases of complete agenesis of the dorsal pancreas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CT, MRI and MRCP findings in dorsal pancreatic agenesis and the relationship between the length of ventral duct with the type of dorsal pancreatic agenesis will provide a new insight into this particular anomaly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Pradyumna Bal Memorial Hospital, KIMS, Bhubaneswar, India. drmanoranjan@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: Manoranjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohapatra
authors.forename: Sanjeet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Prakash Chandra
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Dalai
authors.forename: Sachin Dev
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.forename: Brundaban
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nahak
authors.forename: Md
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ibrarullah
authors.forename: Kedarnath
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Panda
authors.forename: Sasanka Sekhar
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Mishra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010179:Pancreas / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed