The use of endoscopic ultrasound in the diagnosis of solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas in children

Since the first description by Frantz in 1959 of a papillary cystic tumor of the pancreas, solid pseudopapillary tumors have been increasing in incidence. However, management of these lesions remains controversial. Patients under the age of 20 years more often undergo local excision than do their older counterparts, resulting in increased recurrence rates. The cause of this discrepancy is not clear but may be related to an inability to make a definitive preoperative diagnosis. The authors report a case of a solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas in a 13-year-old girl in which the diagnosis was established preoperatively by endoscopic ultrasound scan with fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). EUS-FNA represents a diagnostic technique commonly used in adults that may be useful in identifying the rare pediatric patient with pancreatic malignancy.