title: Evidence-based imaging of pancreatic malignancies.
abstract: A high-quality pancreatic protocol computed tomography (CT) is the primary imaging modality for diagnosing and staging pancreatic malignancy. The main limitation of CT is the lack of sensitivity for early pancreatic lesions. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) provides an excellent complement to CT for both diagnosis and staging of pancreatic cancer, and allows easy access for needle aspiration and tissue diagnosis. Magnetic resonance (MR) can be helpful for evaluating small hepatic nodules or cystic lesions of the pancreas, but in general, the role of MR and positron emission tomography remains limited to special situations when the results of CT and EUS are equivocal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hennepin County Medical Center, 701 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415, USA. kinn0049@umn.edu <kinn0049@umn.edu>
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kinney
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000175:diagnosis; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D019160:Endosonography; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed