Mediastinal Pancreatic Pseudocyst with Hemoptysis – A Thoracic Complication of Pancreatitis

Mediastinal pancreatic pseudocysts are rarely encountered complications of pancreatic diseases. Pseudocysts most often expand into surrounding structures, just rarely into the mediastinum. Usually, they present with abdominal pain, and the symptoms correlate with the location of the pseudocysts. We describe a case of a pancreatic pseudocyst that penetrated the thoracic cavity through the diaphragm and set up a communication with the bronchial tree developing an episode of massive hemoptysis. This case is of particular interest because just a few similar cases were published before. Based on this report, we emphasize the need for early accurate diagnosis; surgeons should maintain a higher index of suspicion for mediastinal pancreatic pseudocyst in patients with chronic pancreatitis.