An incidentally diagnosed primary pancreatic body hydatid cyst: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Introduction and importancePrimary pancreatic hydatid cysts are exceptionally rare as they have an incidence rate ranging from 0.14 % to 2 %. Due to their extreme rarity, the patient's clinical manifestations are nonspecific. This leads to misdiagnosis and delay in treatment. Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary for the proper treatment of this pathology. Case presentationHerewith, we present the rare case of a 46-year-old Middle Eastern female who sought medical attention at our surgical clinic complaining of an acute on-top-of chronic epigastric pain that radiated to the back. It was associated with a reported dark and pale discoloration of the urine and stool, respectively. The preoperative investigative radiological analysis identified a primary pancreatic body mass formation. Clinical discussionA meticulous surgical resection of the pancreatic body, tail, and the spleen was performed. Subsequent histopathological analysis of the excised specimens decisively established the diagnosis of a primary pancreatic body hydatid cyst. ConclusionPrimary pancreatic hydatid cysts are profoundly rare, and their occurrence in the pancreatic body is even rarer. The profound scarcity of published literature on primary pancreatic body hydatid cysts highlights the imperative need for documentation, epidemiological studies, and the development of crucial interventional protocols. After a meticulous review of the published literature, we deduced that ours is the third documented case from our country of a primary pancreatic body hydatid cyst. Furthermore, no other cases beyond these three have been published from our country involving primary pancreatic hydatid cysts.