Contrast-enhanced transabdominal ultrasonography in the diagnosis of pancreatic mass lesions.
OBJECTIVE
In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic usefulness of contrast-enhanced transabdominal ultrasonography (CE-US) in pancreatic mass lesions that could be detected by US.


METHODS
CE-US was performed in 37 patients with various pancreatic mass lesions to evaluate the characteristic vascular findings.


RESULTS
Pancreatic tubular adenocarcinoma showed negative enhancement pattern in 16 cases and a slight spotty enhancement pattern in 5 cases. Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma showed slight homogeneous enhancement pattern in 1 case and acinar cell carcinoma was expressed as a heterogeneous enhancement pattern in 3 cases on CE-US. Endocrine cell tumor had a strong homogeneous enhancement pattern in 3 cases, a strong central enhancement in 1 case and a strong peripheral enhancement in 2 cases. Pseudotumorous pancreatitis showed an iso-enhancement pattern in 6 cases.


CONCLUSIONS
CE-US is useful in evaluating the vascularity of the lesions in various pancreatic mass lesions in real-time images, and may be useful for the differential diagnosis of pancreatic mass lesions.
Takeda
K
K
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
Goto
H
H
Hirooka
Y
Y
Itoh
A
A
Hashimoto
S
S
Niwa
K
K
Hayakawa
T
T
D000005:Abdomen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018267:Carcinoma, Acinar Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014463:Ultrasonography
D003287:Contrast Media