A Case of Complete Agenesis of the Dorsal Pancreas

The pancreas with the complete absence of its body and tail is the result of underdevelopment or agenesis of the dorsal pancreatic bud during embryogenesis, and this is a rare anomaly. We report here on a case of a 38-year-old man who had a pancreas with the total absence of the body and tail. On the abdominal computed tomography (CT), only a pancreatic head portion with speckled calcifications was seen, and the pancreatic body and tail were not visualized at all. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) showed only a short major pancreatic duct with smooth tapering and terminal arborization. The Ampulla of Vater had a normal appearance and it was located at the medial side of the second portion of the duodenum. There was no difficulty to perform cannulation. Any minor papilla was not found. On magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), the duct of Santorini and the duct in the body and tail were not visualized. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2008;36:252-256)