High signal peripancreatic fat on fat-suppressed spoiled gradient echo imaging in acute pancreatitis: preliminary evaluation of the prognostic significance.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate peripancreatic signal changes on fat-suppressed T1-weighted spoiled gradient echo images associated with acute pancreatitis and investigate potential utility in regards to relationship to clinical outcome.


METHODS
The abdominal MR images in 31 patients with acute pancreatitis were reviewed, and evaluated for the presence of elevated signal intensity within the peripancreatic fat on fat-suppressed T1-weighted spoiled gradient echo images; the degree of signal changes was graded as mild, moderate, or severe.


RESULTS
Ten of 31 patients demonstrated abnormal high signal intensity in the peripancreatic fat on fat-suppressed T1-weighted images. The degree of signal change was mild in three patients, moderate in one, and severe in six patients. All six patients with severe elevated peripancreatic soft tissue signal died within seven to 68 days (mean, 47 days) of their admission. All 21 patients without elevated peripancreatic fat signal survived without any complications. The correlation between the presence and severity of elevated peripancreatic MR signal and patient outcome was significant (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Elevated peripancreatic signal on fat-suppressed T1-weighted images is associated progressively with poor outcome in patients with acute pancreatitis, and may represent a simplified method for prognostic cross-sectional imaging.
Martin
Diego R
DR
West Virginia University School of Medicine, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, Morgantown 26505, USA. dmartin@hsc.wvu.edu
Karabulut
Nevzat
N
Yang
Ming
M
McFadden
David W
DW
D000208:Acute Disease; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed