Ansa Pancreatica, an Uncommon Cause of Acute, Recurrent Pancreatitis

Danial H Shaikh; Ahmed Alemam; Jennifer von Ende; Haider Ghazanfar; Anil Dev; Bhavna Balar

doi:10.1159/000516686

Ansa Pancreatica, an Uncommon Cause of Acute, Recurrent Pancreatitis

Case Rep Gastroenterol. 2021 Jul 1;15(2):587-593. doi: 10.1159/000516686. eCollection 2021 May-Aug.

Authors

Danial H Shaikh^{1

2}, Ahmed Alemam^{1

2}, Jennifer von Ende³, Haider Ghazanfar¹, Anil Dev^{1

2}, Bhavna Balar^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Gastroenterology, BronxCare Health System, Icahn School of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
² Department of Medicine, BronxCare Health System, Icahn School of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
³ School of Medicine, American University of the Caribbean, Cupecoy, Saint Martin.

Abstract

The pancreatic duct is vulnerable to developmental anomalies which may produce variations in its course and/or its configuration. Ansa pancreatica is the least common anatomic variant. It is characterized by the formation of an "S-shaped loop" from the main pancreatic duct to the minor papilla. Ansa pancreatica has been implicated as a cause of recurrent acute pancreatitis. We review existing literature on pancreatitis secondary to the ansa deformity and present a case of recurrent acute pancreatitis in a patient who was ultimately found to have the ansa deformity on endoscopic ultrasound.

Keywords: ANSA pancreatica; Acute pancreatitis; Endoscopic ultrasound; Recurrent pancreatitis.

Publication types

Case Reports