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3. Ulcerative Colitis Slideshow

Medical Author:

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

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Medical Editor:

Bhupinder Anand, MD

In this Article

• What is the pancreas?
• What are pancreatic cysts?
• What are the symptoms of pancreatic cysts?
• What are the causes of pancreatic cysts?
• Pseudocysts
• True cysts
• How are pancreatic cysts diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for pancreatic cysts?
• Patient Comments: Pancreatic Cysts - Diagnosis
• Find a local Gastroenterologist in your town
• Pancreatic Cysts Index

• The symptoms of pancreatic cysts depend on their size and location. Small (less than two cm) cysts usually cause no symptoms. Large pancreatic cysts can cause abdominal pain and back pain presumably by exerting pressure on the surrounding tissues and nerves.
• Small or large cysts in the head of the pancreas also may cause jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes with darkening of urine color) due to obstruction of the common bile duct. (Obstruction causes bile to back up and forces bilirubin--the chemical that produces jaundice--back into the bloodstream.)
• If the cysts become infected, it may result in fever, chills, and sepsis.
• On rare occasions, large pseudocysts can compress the stomach or the duodenum leading to obstruction in the movement of food in the intestines, resulting in abdominal pain and vomiting.
• If a cyst becomes malignant and begins to invade the surrounding tissues, it may lead to the same type of pain as pancreatic cancer, pain that usually is constant and felt in the back and upper abdomen.

There are two major types of pancreatic cysts; pseudocysts (inflammatory cysts) and true cysts (non-inflammatory cysts). Inflammatory cysts are benign, whereas non-inflammatory cysts can be benign, precancerous, or cancerous.