Spontaneous rupture of mucinous cystadenoma of the pancreas

Pancreatic cysts that develop after abdominal trauma are generally considered to be pseudocysts. We present a patient with a post-traumatic peri-pancreatic cyst that later ruptured suddenly, leading to an acute abdomen. Following an urgent laparotomy and excision of the cyst, post-operative histopathological assessment showed this to be a mucinous cystadenoma of the pancreas. We have reviewed the literature on spontaneous rupture of mucinous cystadenomas of the pancreas.