Background: Pancreatic panniculitis is a rare skin manifestation in pancreatic disease patients that most frequently develops on the lower legs. We report the unique case of a 68-year-old man who suffered from pancreatic panniculitis on his trunk associated with acute pancreatitis due to an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm.
Case presentation: A 68-year-old man complained of a 2-day history of a tender subcutaneous nodule on his trunk. Laboratory tests and abdominal contrast computed tomography were consistent with acute pancreatitis due to an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. A skin biopsy of the nodule histologically displayed lobular panniculitis with characteristic "ghost cells", which indicated pancreatic panniculitis.
Conclusions: In order to avoid a missed or delayed diagnosis, clinicians should bear in mind that pancreatic panniculitis can be the first manifestation of pancreatic disease when encountering subcutaneous nodules on the trunk.
Keywords: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm; Pancreatic panniculitis.