EUS and pancreatic cyst fluid analysis: Is the juice worth the aqueeze?

Abstract

With the rising identification of incidental pancreatic cystic lesions, clinicians must be aware of the complexity in their management. First, one must differentiate between neoplastic mucinous and nonmucinous cysts which are managed quite differently. Nonmucinous lesions may be inflammatory pseudocysts or neoplastic such as serous cystadenomas, but if accurately characterized, most do not require resection or long term follow-up. On the contrary, mucinous neoplasms (comprised of mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN)) have a known premalignant potential, and therefore are either resected or monitored in a surveillance program.