title: Contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography in pancreatic diseases.
abstract: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is the most sensitive imaging method for diagnosis of pancreatic tumors. However, it still has limits in the differentiation between pancreatic cancers and inflammatory tumor-like masses. A novel technology, contrast-enhanced harmonic EUS (CH-EUS), has been developed recently. It can visualize both parenchymal perfusion and microvasculature in pancreas without Doppler-related artifacts. Therefore, it is superior to EUS and CT in detecting small pancreatic masses and differential diagnosis of pancreatic masses. CH-EUS could be used for adequate sampling of pancreatic tumors and may predict the pathological features of the pancreatic solid lesions but still cannot replace EUS-FNA now.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA ; Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhaoshen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wallace