Pancreatic pseudocyst: A clinical review

Although pancreatic abscess and pseudocyst are relatively rare entities, they may offer significant problems both in diagnosis and management. Complications such as major intraperitoneal bleeding, infection, ascites, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, pancreatic fistula, and the respiratory distress syndrome contribute to the difficulty in management while the variability of pseudocysts in size and the complicated clinical status of many of the patients may test the diagnostic acumen of the most experienced surgeon. It is our purpose to present an analysis of 63 patients with the diagnosis of pancreatic pseudocyst seen at the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Hospital.