Symptoms of Pancreatic Cysts

Posted by HFHSM.D.-ym on April 27, 1999 at 14:18:34

Topic Area: Pancreas
  My 14 year old son was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cysts
  following an ultrasound examination.  He will be going for a cat-
  scan in a couple of weeks.  He has been sick for almost 10 weeks
  but this is the only thing that the doctors here have found so
  far.  He was hospitalized for 17 days.  His symptoms include
  shortness of breath and rapid heart palpatations especially
  with any kind of activity, such as walking.  He also stumbled
  to the right quite a bit, but that seems to have gone away, at
  least for the time being.  He was born with sub-aeortic stenosis
  so we have felt all along that this illness was related to his
  heart, but the doctors feel it is not.  Is it possible that the
  pancreatic cysts could be causing these symptoms?
Dear John,
Most pancreatic cysts present with abdominal pain or are found incidentally on imaging studies. Cysts can be secondary to pancreatitis, infection, trauma, and a number of pancreatic tumors. Although not entirely impossible, I would not relate your son's symptoms to the finding of pancreatic cysts on ultrasound.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.
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