A CASE OF PANCREATIC PSEUDOCYST TREATED SUCCESSFULLY WITH ULTRASOUND-GUIDED PERCUTANEOUS DRAINAGE

This paper describes a case of pancreatic pseudocyst treated successfully with ultrasonography-guided percutaneous aspiration and drainage. A 43-years-old man was referred to our hospital because of left hypochondralgia. He was diagnosed as having chronic pancreatitis with a pancreatic pseudocyst, measuring approximately 10×6×5 cm, located in the pancreatic tail. After three months of conservative medical treatment, the pancreatic pseudocyst was not decreased in size and the left hypochondralgia persisted. We performed percutaneous aspiration and drainage of the cyst guided by ultrasonography. A brownish fluid, 350 ml in volume, was aspirated and the cyst disappeared completely about one month later without any complications. There was no recurrence of the pseudocyst at the fourth month after drainage. On the basis of a review of the literature and our own experience, we believe that percutaneous drainage should be the first choice in the manage- ment of pancreatic pseudocysts that require interventional therapy