Spontaneous Hemorrhage into the Pseudocyst of the Pancreas Without Pseudoaneurysm: A Report of Rare Case and Literature Review

The pseudocysts of the pancreas usually occur in cases of acute or chronic pancreatitis due to damage to the pancreatic ducts. Alcohol abuse is the most common cause of acute or chronic pancreatitis. Hemorrhage into the pseudocyst is one of the most lethal complications of pancreatic pseudocyst. In this article, we present the case of a 49-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency room with primary symptoms of pain in the upper abdomen and vomiting that had been occurring for two days and had worsened over the past eight hours. He is a follow-up case of chronic pancreatitis, as well as stable pseudocysts located in the lesser sac, peripancreatic, and epigastric regions. Additionally, the patient had a history of alcohol misuse. The contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) examination of the abdomen and pelvis revealed an enlarged pancreas, hypodense and heterogeneously enhancing pancreatic parenchyma, diffuse peripancreatic fat stranding, and fluid collections. There are a few well-defined hypodense, peripherally enhancing lesions in the lesser sac, peripancreatic, and epigastric regions. On a plain computed tomography (CT) scan, the lesion in the lesser sac showed hyperdense (65 HU) and heterogeneous areas, indicating intracystic hemorrhage. On CT angiography and digital subtraction angiography (DSA), there was no detectable source of bleeding into the pseudocyst. The patient was diagnosed with acute-on-chronic pancreatitis with pseudocysts and spontaneous hemorrhage in the pseudocyst without the presence of a pseudoaneurysm. Conservative treatment was recommended as the patient was hemodynamically stable, and no pseudoaneurysms were detected on the CECT or DSA. The patient exhibited a positive response to the treatment and was discharged in stable condition. The patient was recommended to have a conclusive procedure at a later date. A cystogastrostomy was performed after a period of one month. The postoperative recovery was unremarkable. The purpose of this case report is to highlight the significance of using computed tomography (CT) and angiography for promptly identifying the rare occurrence of hemorrhage into the pseudocyst of the pancreas. Additionally, it emphasized the uncommon occurrence of hemorrhage in the pseudocysts, along with their typical presentation and radiological evaluation.