Asymptomatic mass in the tail of the pancreas: Intrapancreatic accessory spleen

Abstract

We present a 48-year-old male patient with a mass in the tail of the pancreas on abdominal ultrasonography. The lesion was suspicious for a well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor and spleen preserved distal pancreatectomy surgery was performed. It was diagnosed as intrapancreatic accessory spleen (IPAS) after pathological examination. Accessory spleen is not an infrequent congenital entity caused by the localization of normal splenic tissue in ectopic regions. As it is known, an accessory spleen is a benign entity and does not require surgical treatment or follow-up when detected. However, it is important to recognize IPAS tissue as it may mimic a pancreatic neoplasia when it is located in the pancreas. In this article, we discuss the differential diagnostic possibilities of the IPAS entity.