Pancreatic cystic lesions: imaging findings and clinical features (Part 1)

Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are a broad spectrum of diseases with cystic lesions in pancreatic epithelial and interstitial tissues, characterized by cystic mass, with various etiology, clinical and histopathological characteristics. According to the respective etiology, PCLs are divided into cystic lesions related to injury and inflammation, neoplastic lesions with cyst, congenitally cystic lesions and other cystic lesions. A comprehensive understanding for the imaging features and related clinical features of PCLs is the basis of diagnosis and differentiation. Radiological examination is of great value in the diagnosis, post-treatment evaluation and follow-up of PCLs. The imaging manifestations and clinical features of cystic lesions related to pancreatitis, pancreatic cysts and cystic tumors of pancreas were elaborated, in order to provide a significant basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cystic lesions. Due to the length limitation, our review is divided into three parts. This part introduces pancreatitis related cystic lesions including pancreatic pseudocyst and pancreatic encapsulated necrosis, and pancreatic true cysts consisting of isolated pancreatic epithelial cyst, von Hippel Lindau disease, polycystic kidney, and cystic fibrosis. (authors)