Papillary cystic neoplasm of the pancreas. Report of a case diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) performed on a young woman who presented with a mass in the left hypochondrium yielded fluid. Smears and Cytospin preparations of the fluid showed good cellularity, consisting of relatively monomorphic cells forming a perivascular papillary pattern. FNA cytology thus suggested a diagnosis of papillary cystic neoplasm of the pancreas. Surgical removal of the pancreatic tumor and detailed histologic study confirmed the cytologic diagnosis.