Original article—liver, pancreas, and biliary tract
High Prevalence of Pancreatic Cysts Detected by Screening Magnetic Resonance Imaging Examinations

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2010.05.017Get rights and content

Background & Aims

The prevalence of pancreatic cysts is not known, but asymptomatic pancreatic cysts are diagnosed with increasing frequency. We investigated the prevalence of pancreatic cysts in individuals who were screened by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as part of a preventive medical examination.

Methods

Data from consecutive persons who underwent abdominal MRI (n = 2803; 1821 men; mean age, 51.1 ± 10.8 y) at an institute of preventive medical care were included from a prospective database. All individuals had completed an application form including questions about possible abdominal complaints and prior surgery. MRI reports were reviewed for the presence of pancreatic cysts. Original image sets of all positive MRI reports and a representative sample of the negative series were re-assessed by a blinded, independent radiologist.

Results

Pancreatic cysts were reported in 66 persons (2.4%; 95% confidence interval, 1.9–3.0); prevalence correlated with increasing age (P < .001). There was no difference in prevalence between sexes (P = .769). There was no correlation between abdominal complaints and the presence of pancreatic cysts (P = .542). Four cysts (6%) were larger than 2 cm and 3 (5%) were larger than 3 cm. Review of the original image sets by the independent radiologist did not significantly change these findings.

Conclusions

The prevalence of pancreatic cysts in a large consecutive series of individuals who underwent an MRI at a preventive medical examination was 2.4%. Prevalence increased with age, but did not differ between sexes. Only a minority of cysts were larger than 2 cm.

Section snippets

Patients

For this study we included consecutive individuals who had undergone an abdominal MRI in the Mathias Spital Hospital in Rheine, Germany, as part of a preventive medical examination. All examinations were arranged through Prescan (Hengelo, The Netherlands), a commercial agency offering preventive health check-ups, including MRI (www.prescan.nl). All individuals were Dutch, but the investigations were performed in a German hospital just across the Dutch-German border because in The Netherlands it

Retrospective Evaluation

Between December 2006 and September 2008 a total of 2803 first-time MRI scans had been performed and these were all included in this study. Mean age at the time of MRI investigation was 51.1 years (standard deviation, 10.8 y) and 65% of individuals were men. Pancreatic cysts were identified in 66 individuals, representing a prevalence of 2.4% (95% CI, 1.8–3.0). Age was associated positively (odds ratio, 1.087; 95% CI, 1.060–1.113) with the presence of pancreatic cysts. In 443 individuals

Discussion

Pancreatic cysts are discovered with increasing frequency because of a more liberal application of cross-sectional imaging techniques, not only for medical indications but also because apparently healthy individuals seek preventive medical consultation including whole-body MRI scanning. The apparent question is how to proceed after the detection of a pancreatic cyst in an asymptomatic individual. In clinical practice, most cysts are analyzed extensively, including the application of endoscopic

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Conflicts of interest The authors disclose no conflicts.

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