Zystische pankreasläsionen

Cystic changes of the pancreas comprise a large spectrum of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions. Among these are five entities, i.e. pseudocysts, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN), mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN), serous cystic neoplasms (SCN) and solid pseudopapillary neoplasms (SPN), which represent 95% of all cystic pancreatic lesions. While SCN and SPN have a good prognosis, IPMN and MCN have a high risk of malignancy as they are potential precursors of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The differential diagnosis between these five entities is based on epidemiology, pathology and clinical criteria. Consideration of these criteria allows in many cases a preoperative stratification that is the basis for an adequate therapy.