Pancreas

Cystic and intraductal lesions

True cysts



Last author update: 1 August 2012
Last staff update: 28 July 2023

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PubMed Search: True cyst[TIAB] pancreas

Deepali Jain, M.D.
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Cite this page: Jain D. True cysts. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/pancreastrue.html. Accessed March 29th, 2024.
Congenital / dysgenetic cysts
Definition / general

Case reports

Microscopic (histologic) images

AFIP images

Congenital cyst

Cysts of cystic fibrosis
Definition / general
Dermoid cysts
Definition / general
  • Seen in young patients (2nd - 3rd decade)


Case reports

Gross images

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Tail of pancreas cyst



Microscopic (histologic) images

Images hosted on other servers:

Tail of pancreas cyst

Epidermoid cysts
Definition / general
  • May be present within an intrapancreatic spleen (Pancreas 2011;40:956)
  • In tail, unilocular, typically contain concentric enzymatic concretions, may communicate with acinar system
  • Squamoid cyst of pancreatic ducts; has thin wall lined by transitional / squamous cells without keratinization or granular layer


Case reports
  • 62 year old man with intrapancreatic spleen containing epidermoid cyst (JOP 2011;12:279)
Foregut cysts attached to pancreas
Definition / general
  • Rare; unilocular, smooth surface with clear mucoid material, ciliated epithelium resembles bronchogenic cyst but no respiratory glands, no cartilage and two smooth muscle layers (Am J Surg Pathol 1996;20:476)


Case reports

Microscopic (histologic) images

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Foregut cyst attached to pancreas



Cytology images

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Ciliated foregut cyst: FNA

Mesothelial cysts
Definition / general
  • May be multiple and involve pancreas, liver, kidney or other abdominal structures


Case reports
Pancreatic hamartoma
Case reports

Microscopic (histologic) images

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Various images

Nonepithelial cysts
Definition / general
  • Includes endometrial cyst, lymphangioma, pseudocysts, parasitic cyst
Pancreatic tissue derived cysts
Definition / general
  • May appear in thorax or mediastinum, as components of gastroenteric duplication cysts, intralobar pulmonary sequestrations, teratomas or rarely from ectopic pancreatic tissue (Mod Pathol 1996;9:210)
  • Paraduodenal wall cyst (cystic dystrophy): patients with paraduodenal (groove) pancreatitis, cysts may enlarge and adhere to duodenal wall, mimicking duodenal duplication; lined by granulation tissue, may be partly lined by ductal epithelium (Semin Diagn Pathol 2004;21:247)


Gross images

Images hosted on other servers:

Ectopic pancreas with cystic change in mediastinum



Microscopic (histologic) images

Images hosted on other servers:

Ectopic pancreas with cystic change in mediastinum

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