Rationale: Pancreatic arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) is predominantly caused by congenital factors and is an extremely rare vascular anomaly. The number of documented and reported cases in the literature remains very low.
Patient concerns: We report a case of a 37-year-old male who was admitted to the hospital due to acute abdominal pain.
Diagnoses: Computed tomography revealed an arteriovenous malformation in the tail of the pancreas and acute pancreatitis.
Interventions: The patient underwent a distal pancreatectomy combined with splenectomy.
Outcomes: Histopathological examination confirmed the presence of an arteriovenous malformation in the tail of the pancreas along with acute pancreatitis. We believe that the acute pancreatitis was induced by the PAVM. The patient was discharged successfully and remained symptom-free during follow-up.
Lessons: PAVM is a rare vascular abnormality occurring in the pancreas. Clinical manifestations can include gastrointestinal bleeding, intra-abdominal hemorrhage, pancreatitis, portal hypertension, and pancreatic pseudocyst. Diagnosis can be confirmed through ultrasound, contrast-enhanced computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and digital subtraction angiography. Surgical treatment is an effective approach for symptomatic PAVM.
Keywords: acute pancreatitis; distal pancreatectomy combined with splenectomy; pancreatic arteriovenous malformation.
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