Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm of the Pancreas As a Rare Cause of Relapsing Acute Pancreatitis: A Case Report

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas is a rare tumor with low malignant potential. Although they are diagnosed incidentally, acute or relapsing pancreatitis in association with this tumor are reported rarely. A 22-year-old female patient was diagnosed with relapsing acute pancreatitis. Pseudocyst formation was identified based on imaging findings of a well-circumscribed cystic mass lesion located at the posterior aspect of the body and tail of the pancreas. At follow-up, extrapancreatic extension of a newly developed solid component was detected by imaging; thus, solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas was suspected, and distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy was performed. Pathological examination revealed pancreatic mass lesion that was diagnosed as solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas. This case implies that radical surgical resection should be the first treatment modality in all cases of solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas. Even if typical imaging findings are present, co-occurrence of acute pancreatitis may cause diagnostic difficulty in some cases.