Case #331 – September, 2012

A 35-year-old woman, who had emigrated from Azerbaijan five years previous, presented to her health care provider with abdominal pain. A CT scan revealed multiple pancreatic cysts. The patient noted that she was diagnosed with pancreatic cysts while still living in Azerbaijan. The cysts were aspirated and the fluid was sent to Pathology for histological work-up. Figures A–D show what was observed on a slide made from the aspirate, stained with trichrome. The objects of interest measured 12-15 micrometers on average. What is your diagnosis? Based on what criteria??

This case and images were kindly provided by Trinity Medical Center, Birmingham, AL.

Images presented in the DPDx case studies are from specimens submitted for diagnosis or archiving. On rare occasions, clinical histories given may be partly fictitious.