Ectopic jejunal pancreas with pancreatitis mistaken for a post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease in an immunosuppressed kidney transplant patient

Abstract

An ectopic pancreas, also known as pancreatic rest or heterotopic pancreas, consists of pancreatic tissue found in a location with no continuity with the anatomic pancreas. This lesion can occasionally cause gastrointestinal obstruction, ulceration or become inflamed and cause ectopic pancreatitis. We present the case of a 29-year-old immunocompromised female patient due to a previous kidney transplant. She presented with nausea and vague abdominal discomfort and was admitted for investigation and treatment of an acute kidney injury. A small bowel mass of unknown etiology was incidentally found on abdominal computed tomography imaging. Due to the high suspicion of a post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, a surgical exploration took place and revealed the presence of a pancreatic rest with chronic pancreatitis. Ectopic pancreas diagnosis is challenging and surgical exploration is warranted when a neoplastic process is suspected.