Biliary tract cytology
Biliary tract cytology Sampling methods Cytologic specimens from biliary tract include brushings, exfoliated bile, and rinse specimens from biliary stents.Brushing specimens may be obtained either by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or by percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, the former being more sensitive than the latter. Rinse specimens may be obtained from a a biliary stent at the time […]
Solid-pseudopapillary tumor
Solid-pseudopapillary tumor This rare tumor usually occurs in women in their second or third decades of life. It presents as a large abdominal mass and has low malignant potential, although rare cases of metastatic disease have been reported. Histologically, it is characterized by fine fibrovascular septa forming the core of pseudopapillary structures, which result from […]
Normal cells
Normal cells Fine needle aspiration of normal pancreas yield a combination of benign acinar and ductal epithelial cells. Benign acinar epithelium cytologic features Single cells or acini Eccentrically placed, round nuclei Evenly distributed, finely granular chromatin Incospicuous nucleoli Abundant granular cytoplasm Indistinct cell borders Benign ductal epithelium cytologic features Flat, cohesive honeycomb sheets […]
Pancreatic cysts
Pancreatic cysts The evaluation of pancreatic cysts requires a multidisciplinary approach. No single diagnostic test provides 100% sensitivity and specificity. The absence of cyst lining cells implies a pseudocyst in the appropriate clinical setting, but this is a diagnosis of exclusion. In the case of cysts the fluid is separately submitted for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), amylase, […]
Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis Acute pancreatitis results from the enzymatic autodestruction of the parenchyma and the accompanying acute inflammatory response. It is most commonly associated with biliary tract disease or alcoholism. The diagnosis rests on clinical findings and laboratory evidence, and the radiologic appearance is usually not suggestive of a mass lesion. For this reason, it is […]
Solid tumors
Solid tumors Ductal adenocarcinoma Acinar cell carcinoma Solid-pseudopapillary tumor Endocrine tumors Metastatic tumors
Cystic tumors
Cystic tumors Pancreatic cystic tumors account for about 5% of pancreatic neoplasms. They also include cystic dilatations of intraductal neoplasms, cystic degenerations of solid neoplasms (solid-pseudopapillary tumor), and solid neoplasms with focal cystic change (ductal adenocarcinoma with cystic degeneration, cystic acinar cell carcinoma, cystic pancreatic endocrine tumor). Serous cystadenoma It usually occurs in elderly women, […]
Pancreatic pseudocysts
Pancreatic pseudocysts Pancreatic pseudocysts occur in the setting of acute pancreatitis, resulting from autodigestion of the parenchyma. They account for the vast majority of pancreatic cystic lesions (75-90%). Pseudocysts can be rarely associated with trauma or pancreatic surgery. By definition, a pseudocyst lacks an epithelial lining. It is an unilocular thick-walled lesion, composed of an […]
Acinar cell carcinoma
Acinar cell carcinoma It is a rare, aggressive malignancy, usually arising in adults, but it has been reported in children and adolescents as well. Cytologic diagnostic features Groups of cells in nests, cords or acini Single cells Nuclear irregularity, crowding, overlapping Increased N/C ratio Conspicuous nucleoli Moderately abundant granular cytoplasm Absence of ductal epithelium The […]
Anatomy and histology of the pancreas