{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,19]],"date-time":"2026-03-19T10:35:45Z","timestamp":1773916545343,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773705600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100019502","name":"Universitatea \u201cDun\u0103rea de Jos\u201d din Gala\u021bi","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100019502","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pediatric Reports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Pancreatic trauma (PT) in children is rare and associated with significant morbidity. The optimal form of management\u2014operative versus non-operative\u2014remains controversial, particularly in the presence of acute post-traumatic peripancreatic fluid collection, which may later evolve into pancreatic pseudocysts. Isolated pancreatic injuries without associated organ damage are uncommon and pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Case Presentation: We report a 5-year-old boy who sustained an isolated grade IB blunt pancreatic head contusion following blunt abdominal trauma after falling onto a wooden fence. He presented with epigastric pain, repeated emesis, and an abdominal wall bruise. Initial ultrasound (US) findings were subtle; however, serial imaging and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) revealed focal contusion of the pancreatic head\/uncinate process with a small peripancreatic fluid collection. Pancreatic enzymes were markedly elevated, with peak serum lipase reaching approximately 6579 U\/L. The child remained hemodynamically stable and was managed conservatively with bowel rest, intravenous fluids, octreotide, proton-pump inhibition, pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), and antibiotics. Serial US demonstrated the dynamic evolution of an acute peripancreatic fluid collection (APFC) (~2 cm), which remained stable without complications. Clinical and biochemical parameters gradually improved, and no invasive intervention was required. The patient was discharged on hospital day 16 with planned outpatient imaging follow-up. Conclusions: This case demonstrates that isolated pediatric pancreatic contusions complicated by small, evolving peripancreatic fluid collections can be safely managed non-operatively in hemodynamically stable patients. Serial ultrasound plays a key role in monitoring lesion evolution and guiding management decisions. In accordance with current pediatric trauma guidelines, careful observation with structured follow-up may prevent unnecessary invasive interventions while achieving excellent clinical outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pediatric18020042","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T10:17:44Z","timestamp":1773742664000},"page":"42","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Isolated Blunt Pancreatic Head Injury with Evolving Acute Peripancreatic Fluid Collection in a Child Successfully Managed Conservatively"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Dumitru Marius","family":"D\u0103nil\u0103","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School for Doctoral Studies in Biomedical Sciences, \u201cDun\u0103rea de Jos\u201d University of Gala\u021bi, 800008 Galati, Romania"},{"name":"\u201cSf. Ioan\u201d Clinical Emergency Pediatric Hospital, 800487 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-9079-2831","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristina-Mihaela","family":"Popescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cSf. Ioan\u201d Clinical Emergency Pediatric Hospital, 800487 Galati, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, \u201cDun\u0103rea de Jos\u201d University of Gala\u021bi, 800201 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Irina","family":"Profir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cSf. Ioan\u201d Clinical Emergency Pediatric Hospital, 800487 Galati, Romania"},{"name":"Clinical Medical Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, \u201cDun\u0103rea de Jos\u201d University of Gala\u021bi, 800216 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2726-137X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ada","family":"\u0218tef\u0103nescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, \u201cDun\u0103rea de Jos\u201d University of Gala\u021bi, 800201 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gabriela","family":"Gur\u0103u","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u201cSf. Ioan\u201d Clinical Emergency Pediatric Hospital, 800487 Galati, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Morphology and Functional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, \u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d University of Gala\u021bi, 800008 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"249","article-title":"Isolated Pancreatic Tail Injury in Paediatrics; A Case Report and Literature Review","volume":"8","author":"Ismail","year":"2020","journal-title":"Bull. Emerg. Trauma"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Everson, E.., Buschel, H.., Carroll, J., and Palamuthusingam, P. (2023). Paediatric pancreatic trauma in North Queensland: A 10-year retrospective review. 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