A case of acute pancreatitis complicated by pseudocystocolonic fistula

Pseudocystocolonic fistula is a rare, but occasionally lethal event in acute pancreatitis. Surgery has been the mainstay treatment, but recent literature has reported improvements in non-surgical therapies. Here, we report a case of acute pancreatitis complicated by pseudocystocolonic fistula that was treated by non-surgical means. A 58-year-old man, who consumed excessive alcohol, was admitted with severe abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed multiple pancreatic pseudocysts and fistula in the descending colon associated with acute pancreatitis. The fistula opening was identified by colonoscopy, and a diagnosis of pseudocystocolonic fistula was made. The pseudocyst was lavaged with saline through a percutaneous cystic drainage catheter and the patient became asymptomatic. Follow-up abdominal CT confirmed the disappearance of the colonic fistula and multiple pseudocysts. We also provide a review of the most effective non-surgical therapies for pseudocystocolonic fistula associated with acute pancreatitis.