A case report of esophageal heterotopic pancreas presenting as recurrent mediastinal abscess, treated by minimally invasive esophagectomy

Highlights • Heterotopic pancreas is a rare congenital anomaly. • Patients may present with complications such as inflammation and abscess. • The management depends on size, ability to exclude other etiologies and symptoms.
Introduction Heterotopic pancreas is a rare congenital anomaly. We report a case of esophageal heterotopic pancreas complicated by recurrent mediastinal abscess and treated by minimally invasive resection. Presentation of case A 31-year-old woman was admitted with a history of recurrent chest pain, dysphagia, and heartburn. CT scan revealed focal confined collection in the lower mediastinum surrounding esophagus. Endoscopic ultrasound revealed a subepithelial lesion. The patient was treated by minimally invasive esophagectomy and made an uneventful postoperative recovery. Discussion The management of subepithelial lesions would depend on their size, ability to exclude other etiologies and their associated symptoms. The patient, in this case, was obviously symptomatic and accurate differentiation from malignant etiologies could not be accurately made. Conclusion Although pancreatic heterotopia is rare, it should be remembered in the differential diagnosis of various gastrointestinal lesions.