Effectiveness of Endoscopic Pancreatic Stenting for Pancreatic Pseudocyst-Portal Vein Fistula

Abstract

Pancreatic pseudocyst-portal vein (PP-PV) fistula, mostly occurring after pseudocyst formation following acute/chronic pancreatitis, is a rare but life-threatening condition. The majority of treatments are based on conservative or surgical interventions. We report the case of a 70-year-old man with a PP-PV fistula and PV thrombosis. We adopted conservative treatment at first due to his mild symptoms. However, after resuming food intake, the patient had severe abdominal pain. Following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, we found that the pseudocyst was connected with the PV through the fistula. Subsequently, an endoscopic nasopancreatic drainage (ENPD) catheter was inserted into the main pancreatic duct to establish pancreatic drainage, which resulted in a decrease in the abdominal pain. After the ENPD tube had been exchanged for endoscopic pancreatic stenting, his abdominal pain did not recur. Therefore, this case demonstrated endoscopic treatment as an effective treatment option for PP-PV fistula.