Risk perceptions and risk thresholds in the management of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms

Abstract

Background: Treatment options for intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) include surgical resection or surveillance. Management is guided primarily by expert opinion and consensus statements and as a result, surgeons vary widely in their treatment decisions. We aimed (1) to determine whether surgeon variation in management of IPMN is driven by differences in risk perception and (2) to quantify surgeons’ risk threshold for changing their treatment recommendations.