A patient with pancreatitis may show protein-rich plugs within pancreatic ducts. Many of the reports on protein plugs are from Japan.
Protein plugs are considered a marker of cholangitis.
On imaging studies, they usually appear as filling defects in a dilated pancreatic duct. Rarely they may appear as a mass.
Histology shows an eosin-positive amorphous cylindrical mass within the duct
Removal of plugs during endoscopy is associated with pain relief.
It is uncertain if the plugs may play a role in causing the pancreatitis.
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Specialty: Gastroenterology
