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Pancreatic cysts are being found with greater frequency because of the growing use of highly sensitive imaging techniques. However, the prevalence of pancreatic cysts in the general population is unclear.
To address this issue, researchers in Europe reviewed data from 2803 consecutive patients (mean age, 51.1; 65% men) who underwent abdominal magnetic resonance imaging as part of a preventive medical exam. None of the patients had a history of acute or chronic pancreatitis.
Pancreatic cysts were identified in 66 (2.4%) of patients. Cysts ranged in size from 2 to 54 mm (median size, 8 mm) and were equally distributed throughout the pancreas; 9% were multilocular, and 8% were connected to the pancreatic duct. No cysts had features suggesting ma…