Clinical picture: multiple sites of ectopic pancreatic tissue

J Straatman, R J Meester, N C T v. Grieken, M J A M Jacobs, P d. Graaf, G Kazemier, M A Cuesta

A case is presented with multiple sites of ectopic pancreatic tissue in the gastro-intestinal tract. The sites were found in the stomach and duodenum, one site of ectopic pancreatic tissue presented with necrotizing pancreatitis. Ectopic pancreatic tissue can be defined as all pancreatic tissue, with no anatomical or vascular continuity with the orthotopic pancreas. The ectopic tissue most likely originates from the spreading of cells, during the allocation of structures derived from the foregut in the embryonic phase. Over ninety percent of ectopic tissue presents in the upper gastrointestinal tract, although other locations have been described. To date this is the first case-report about a patient with multiple localizations of ectopic pancreatic tissue.