Case report: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of pancreatic origin in a patient with Down syndrome: the role of diagnostic ultrasound.

Introduction: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a benign solid tumor of uncertain etiology. Materials and methods: We report a case of a 4-year-old Down syndrome affected child, who had a pancreatic mass identified by ultrasonography (US) and confirmed by computed tomography (CT). Results: Monitoring of IMT was performed by serial US studies, and at follow-up after 4 years there was no relapse. Discussion: As radical removal of the lesion was not possible, the patient was successfully treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It was decided to monitor the lesion by serial US in order to reduce the number of CT examinations and thereby avoid excessive exposure to ionizing radiation. It is widely reported in the literature that repeated CT scans are associated with increased exposure to radiation which may cause cancer, a fact which should not be overlooked in children.