Ultrasound has gained widespread acceptance in the evaluation of pancreatic disease. Echographic criteria for the diagnosis of pancreatitis, pseudocyst, and pancreatic carcinoma are presented. Additionally, three important areas of difficulty in the echographic evaluation of pancreatic disease are described.
Indexing Words Ultrasound PseudocystPancreatitis Pancreas Pancreatic Carcinoma Pancreatic disease presents a major diagnostic problem. Inflammatory disease occurs commonly, and pancreatic carcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States ( 1 ) . The evaluation of pancreatic disease has been unreliable and costly. Patients with possible pathology often undergo upper gastrointestinal examination, hypotonic duodenography , radioisotopic scintiscanning, selective and superselective angography, endoscopic cholangiopancreatography, and most recently, ultrasound examination. Several authors have discussed the echographic diagnosis of pancreatic lesions, and criteria for the diagnosis of inflammatory and neoplastic disease have been established (2-9).Experience with over 5,000 abdominal examinations, of which approximately 20% were performed t o investigate possible pancreatic pathology, forms the basis for this report. Criteria for diagnosis as well as limitations of the method will be described.