Clinical Gastroenterology Vol.14 No.9(2)

Theme Recent Advances in the Endoscopic Ultrasonography
Title Diagnosis of Chronic Pancreatitis by Endoscopic Ultrasonography
Publish Date 1999/08
Author Akio Katanuma Center for Grastroenterology, Teine Keijinkai Hospital
Author Hiroyuki Maguchi Center for Grastroenterology, Teine Keijinkai Hospital
[ Summary ] By using endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) we are able to perform detailed inspections of the pancreatic parenchyma with a high degree of resolution. Thereby it can detect the slightest changes in pancreatic parenchyma, which other methods fail to do, and diagnose chronic pancreatitis at an early stage. EUS is also indispensable in the differential diagnosis between tumor forming pancreatitis(TFP) and pancreatic cancer. EUS findings of the former are of a quasi-round appearance of the lesion, unclean (occasionally clear) demarcation, and mostly diffuse with a low echo pattern within the lesion. Further, with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, TFP is shown to be isovascular whereas pancreatic cancer is shown to behypovascular, which is also useful in differential diagnosis.
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