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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffIn many cases, the cause of a particular pancreatic cyst is unknown. Genetic mutations can lead to cancerous cysts. Some cysts are associated with rare illnesses — such as von Hippel-Lindau disease, which is a genetic disorder that can affect the brain, retina, adrenal glands, kidneys and pancreas.
Pseudocysts often follow a bout of pancreatitis, a painful condition in which the pancreas's digestive enzymes become prematurely active and digest some of the pancreas itself. Pseudocysts can also result from blunt trauma to the abdomen, such as during a car accident.
- Scheiman JM. Management of cystic lesions of the pancreas. Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. 2008;12:405.
- Pitman MB, et al. Pancreatic cysts: Preoperative diagnosis and clinical management. Cancer Cytopathology. 2010;118:1.
- Steer ML. Cystic lesions of the pancreas. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed May 14, 2010.
- Pancreatic cysts. National Pancreas Foundation. http://pancreasfoundation.org/2010/04/pancreatic-cysts/. Accessed May 16, 2010.
- Garcea G, et al. Cystic lesions of the pancreas: A diagnostic and management dilemma. Pancreatology. 2008;8:236.
- Habashi S, et al. Pancreatic pseudocyst. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2009;15:38.
- Khalid A, et al. ACG practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of neoplastic pancreatic cysts. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2007;102:2339.
- Jacobson BC, et al. ASGE guideline: The role of endoscopy in the diagnosis and the management of cystic lesions and inflammatory fluid collections of the pancreas. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. 2005;61:363.
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