Dr. V. Raman Muthusamy, Medical Director of Endoscopy at UCLA Health and Professor of Clinical Medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will join our Patient and Family Webinar Series to discuss what you should know about pancreatic cysts. Dr. Muthusamy will address common questions about pancreatic cysts as well as what they mean for future pancreatic cancer risk.
Pancreatic cysts, particularly among people over age 50, are increasingly common, particularly as imaging technology is getting better. While being diagnosed with a pancreatic cyst, or multiple cysts, may be scary, it is not necessarily cause for concern. Pancreatic cysts are also not the same as pancreatic cancer. Dr. Muthusamy will discuss the various types of pancreatic cysts as well as how they are diagnosed. He will address the risk for any cyst, especially those thought to be mucinous.
Most pancreatic cysts are found through CT scan or MRI imaging for other concerns. Others are discovered if there are complaints of abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, nausea, or gastrointestinal (GI) concerns. Dr. Muthusamy will touch on the various imaging techniques used to identify cysts. He will also discuss the management strategies that have been developed through numerous guidelines on how to manage the cysts. For patients who have a cyst that requires treatment, surgical removal remains the gold standard. Dr. Muthusamy will share some preliminary information on endoscopic treatment of cysts, although this approach is currently limited to research settings.
Dr. V. Raman Muthusamy, MD, MAS is the Medical Director of Endoscopy at UCLA Health and Professor of Clinical Medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is recognized as a leader in advanced endoscopic procedures as well as his clinical research on new endoscopic technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of digestive disorders. Dr. Muthusamy is the lead author of the 2015 American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Guidelines on the Role of Endoscopy in Assessing Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms and inflammatory cysts. He has authored over 300 published abstracts and manuscripts and is passionate about working to advance and improve the care of patients with digestive disorders. He and has been recognized by many organizations including Best Doctors and SuperDoctors and currently serves as President of the Southern California Society of Gastroenterology (SCSG).