Dorsal pancreatic agenesis: a case report

Pancreatic dorsal agenesis (PDA) is an infrequent and often asymptomatic congenital entity. It may present as an incidental finding of an imaging exam or associated with other conditions such as abdominal pain or discomfort, diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, tumors, and other malformations. This study presents and discusses the case of a 52-year-old woman, obese, with pre-diabetes and gastroesophageal reflux disease, whose diagnosis of PDA occurred during the investigation of a chronic condition of cholestasis and abdominal discomfort. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) showed an absence of the pancreas body and tail and did not show the corresponding dorsal pancreatic duct. Imaging tests are essential for diagnosing PDA. There is no specific treatment for PDA, so only accompanying conditions are treated when indicated.