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World J Gastroenterol. Apr 28, 2011; 17(16): 2076-2079
Published online Apr 28, 2011. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v17.i16.2076
A practical approach to the diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis
Luca Frulloni, Antonio Amodio, Anna Maria Katsotourchi, Italo Vantini
Luca Frulloni, Antonio Amodio, Anna Maria Katsotourchi, Italo Vantini, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Luca Frulloni, Professor, Cattedra di Gastroenterologia, Policlinico GB Rossi, P.le LA Scuro, 10, 37134 Verona, Italy
Author contributions: Frulloni L and Amodio A wrote the paper; Katsotourchi AM searched the literature for papers on autoimmune pancreatitis up to December 2009 and for papers on the frequency of benign lesions in resected pancreatic masses; Vantini I revised the paper.
Correspondence to: Luca Frulloni, Professor, Cattedra di Gastroenterologia, Policlinico GB Rossi, P.le LA Scuro, 10, 37134 Verona, Italy. luca.frulloni@univr.it
Telephone: +39-45-8124191 Fax: +39-45-8027495
Received: September 21, 2010
Revised: January 29, 2011
Accepted: February 5, 2011
Published online: April 28, 2011
Abstract

Autoimmune pancreatitis is a disease characterized by specific pathological features, different from those of other forms of pancreatitis, that responds dramatically to steroid therapy. The pancreatic parenchyma may be diffusely or focally involved with the possibility of a low-density mass being present at imaging, mimicking pancreatic cancer. Clinically, the most relevant problems lie in the diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis and in distinguishing autoimmune pancreatitis from pancreatic cancer. Since in the presence of a pancreatic mass the probability of tumour is much higher than that of pancreatitis, the physician should be aware that in focal autoimmune pancreatitis the first step before using steroids is to exclude pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In this review, we briefly analyse the strategies to be followed for a correct diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis.

Keywords: Autoimmune diseases; Pancreatitis; Therapy; Diagnosis