Annular Pancreas in an Adult Presenting with Acute Pancreatitis

Abstract

Annular pancreas is a rare congenital condition in which tissue from the head of the pancreas partially or completely surrounds the second part of the duodenum.  This condition has a variable clinical presentation in adults and children.  Radiologists should be aware of the imaging findings in adults as an annular pancreas can be overlooked or misdiagnosed in this patient population.  In this case report we describe an adult patient with pancreatitis associated with the computed tomography findings of a complete annular pancreas and discuss additional imaging techniques and findings for differential diagnoses of this condition.