Gastrinoma (Passaro’s) triangle

Boundaries of Gastrinoma Triangle

It is an imaginary triangle formed by 3 points in upper abdomen:

1. Apex: Cystic duct-CBD junction
2. Inferior point: 2nd part duodenum-3rd part duodenum junction
3. Left lateral point: Pancreatic neck-body junction

This area is located to the right of Superior Mesenteric Artery (SMA) i.e. Proximal duodenum and head of pancreas.

Importance of Gastrinoma Triangle

1. Tumor localization: 60-90% gastrinomas arise within the Gastrinoma triangle. Gastrinoma is more common in duodenum than in pancreas.

2. Hepatic metastases: Gastrinomas that arise from the tail of pancreas have higher rate of hepatic metastases compared to that which arises in gastrinoma triangle.