PANCREATIC CARCINOMA VERSUS CHRONIC FOCAL PANCREATITIS: CONTRAST-ENHANCED POWER DOPPLER ULTRASONOGRAPHY FINDINGS

Background: We assessed the potential usefulness of contrast-enhanced power Doppler ultrasonography (US) for differentiating pancreatic carcinoma from chronic focal pancreatitis. Methods: Twenty-six consecutive patients with ductal carcinoma (n=16) and chronic focal pancreatitis (n=10) underwent power Doppler US examinations before and after intravenous injection of an air-based contrast agent (Levovist, Schering, Berlin, Germany). Final diagnosis was obtained by surgery in all patients. The following parameters before and after intravenous administration of contrast agent were evaluated for each lesion: number, morphology and course of the vessels within the lesion and time to maximum dete…