title: Diagnostic value of contrast enhanced ultrasound for splenic artery complications following acute pancreatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in diagnosing splenic artery complications (SACs) after acute pancreatitis (AP).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighteen patients with AP were enrolled in the study. All patients were examined by CEUS and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). CECT was accepted as a gold standard for the diagnosis of SACs in AP. The diagnostic accuracy of splenic CEUS and pancreatic CEUS was compared with that of CECT. Splenic infarction was the diagnostic criterion for splenic artery embolism and local dysperfusion of the splenic parenchyma was the diagnostic criterion for splenic arterial stenosis. The incidence of splenic sub-capsular hemorrhage, splenic artery aneurysms, and splenic rupture was all lower than that of SACs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine patients were diagnosed as having SACs after AP by CECT among the 118 patients. The patients with SACs were diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Among them, 6 lesions were diagnosed as splenic artery embolism, 5 as splenic artery aneurysms, and 1 as splenic arterial stenosis. No lesion was diagnosed by pancreatic CEUS and 5 lesions were diagnosed by splenic CEUS. By splenic CEUS, 4 cases were diagnosed as splenic artery embolism and 1 as splenic arterial stenosis. The accuracy of splenic CEUS in diagnosis of SACs in SAP was 41.7% (5/12), which was higher than that of pancreatic CEUS (0%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Splenic CEUS is a supplementary method for pancreatic CEUS in AP patients, which can decrease missed diagnosis of SACs.
authors.affiliation: Di-Ming Cai, Shyam Sundar Parajuly, Wen-Wu Ling, Yong-Zhong Li, Yan Luo, Department of Ultrasound, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Di-Ming
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Di-Ming Cai, Shyam Sundar Parajuly, Wen-Wu Ling, Yong-Zhong Li, Yan Luo, Department of Ultrasound, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Shyam Sundar
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Parajuly
authors.affiliation: Di-Ming Cai, Shyam Sundar Parajuly, Wen-Wu Ling, Yong-Zhong Li, Yan Luo, Department of Ultrasound, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Wu
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.affiliation: Di-Ming Cai, Shyam Sundar Parajuly, Wen-Wu Ling, Yong-Zhong Li, Yan Luo, Department of Ultrasound, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Zhong
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Di-Ming Cai, Shyam Sundar Parajuly, Wen-Wu Ling, Yong-Zhong Li, Yan Luo, Department of Ultrasound, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000783:Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D003287:Contrast Media; D004617:Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007238:Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications*; D010743:Phospholipids; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013157:Splenic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013161:Splenic Rupture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D010743:Phospholipids; C420843:contrast agent BR1; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride
keywords: Acute pancreatitis; Contrast enhanced ultrasound; Severe acute pancreatitis; Splenic artery complications; Splenic contrast-enhanced computed tomography