Successful laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy for a huge lymphoepithelial cyst of the pancreas tail in a young man: A case report and literature review

Lymphoepithelial cyst (LEC) of the pancreas is rare true pancreatic cyst. The cause is unclear. We present the case of a 19-year-old man diagnosed with LEC of pancreas tail. He had experienced intermittent upper abdominal pain and distention for 2 months prior to admission. He had no any abdominal operation history. Abdomen computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a huge homogeneous mass lesion, 15cm in the long diameter, over the pancreas tail. Then he underwent laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy after a series of preoperative evaluation. LEC of pancreas tail was confirmed on the basis of clinicopathological features, such as size (15 cm), benign stratified squamous epithelium atop dense lymphoid tissue. The advantages of laparoscopic resection for LEC of the pancreatic tail were discussed.