Groove pancreatitis-a great mimicker.

Groove pancreatitis is an uncommon form of chronic pancreatitis affecting the "groove" between the pancreatic head, duodenum and common bile duct. Many radiologists remain unfamiliar with this entity, with only a few descriptions of it existing in the radiology and pathology literature. The exact underlying cause of groove pancreatitis is unclear, although there are strong associations with peptic ulcer disease, smoking, long-term alcohol abuse, functional obstruction of the duct of Santorini and Brunner gland hyperplasia.