scholarly journals Improvement of the Diagnosis of Isoattenuating Pancreatic Carcinomas by Defining their Characteristics on Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography and Endosonography with Fine-Needle Aspiration (EUS-FNA)

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 776
Author(s):  
Robert Psar ◽  
Ondrej Urban ◽  
Marie Cerna ◽  
Tomas Rohan ◽  
Martin Hill

(1) Background. The aim was to define typical features of isoattenuating pancreatic carcinomas on computed tomography (CT) and endosonography and determine the yield of fine-needle aspiration endosonography (EUS-FNA) in their diagnosis. (2) Methods. One hundred and seventy-three patients with pancreatic carcinomas underwent multiphase contrast-enhanced CT followed by EUS-FNA at the time of diagnosis. Secondary signs on CT, size and location on EUS, and the yield of EUS-FNA in isoattenuating and hypoattenuating pancreatic cancer, were evaluated. (3) Results. Isoattenuating pancreatic carcinomas occurred in 12.1% of patients. Secondary signs of isoattenuating pancreatic carcinomas on CT were present in 95.2% cases and included dilatation of the pancreatic duct and/or the common bile duct (85.7%), interruption of the pancreatic duct (76.2%), abnormal pancreatic contour (33.3%), and atrophy of the distal parenchyma (9.5%) Compared to hypoattenuating pancreatic carcinomas, isoattenuating carcinomas were more often localized in the pancreatic head (100% vs. 59.2%; p < 0.001). In ROC (receiver operating characteristic) analysis, the optimal cut-off value for the size of isoattenuating carcinomas on EUS was ≤ 25 mm (AUC = 0.898). The sensitivity of EUS-FNA in confirmation of isoattenuating and hypoattenuating pancreatic cancer were 90.5% and 92.8% (p = 0.886). (4) Conclusions. Isoattenuating pancreatic head carcinoma can be revealed by indirect signs on CT and confirmed with high sensitivity by EUS-FNA.

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Manta ◽  
Elisabetta Nardi ◽  
Nico Pagano ◽  
Claudio Ricci ◽  
Mariano Sica ◽  
...  

Background & Aims: Diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (p-NETs) is frequently challenging. We describe a large series of patients with p-NETs in whom both pre-operative Computed Tomography (CT) and Endoscopic Ultrasonography (EUS) were performed. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected sporadic p-NET cases. All patients underwent both standard multidetector CT study and EUS with fine-needle aspiration (FNA). The final histological diagnosis was achieved on a post-surgical specimen. Chromogranin A (CgA) levels were measured. Results: A total of 80 patients (mean age: 58 ± 14.2 years; males: 42) were enrolled. The diameter of functioning was significantly lower than that of non-functioning p-NETs (11.2 ± 8.5 mm vs 19.8 ± 12.2 mm; P = 0.0004). The CgA levels were more frequently elevated in non-functioning than functioning pNET patients (71.4% vs 46.9%; P = 0.049). Overall, the CT study detected the lesion in 51 (63.7%) cases, being negative in 26 (68.4%) patients with a tumor ≤10 mm, and in a further 3 (15%) cases with a tumor diameter ≤20 mm. CT overlooked the pancreatic lesion more frequently in patients with functioning than non-functioning p-NETs (46.5% vs 24.3%; P = 0.002). EUS allowed a more precise pre-operative tumor measurement, with an overall incorrect dimension in only 9 (11.2%) patients. Of note, the EUS-guided FNA suspected the neuroendocrine nature of tumor in all cases. Conclusions: Data of this large case series would suggest that the EUS should be included in the diagnostic work-up in all patients with a suspected p-NET, even when the CT study was negative for a primary lesion in the pancreas.– . Abbrevations: CgA: chromogranin A; EUS: Endoscopic Ultrasonography; FNA: fine-needle aspiration; p-NETs: pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 436-442
Author(s):  
Jun Heo

Although infected pancreatic necrosis can develop as a result of rare conditions involving trauma, surgery, and systemic infection with an uncommon pathogen, it usually occurs as a complication of pancreatitis. Early phase of acute pancreatitis can be either edematous interstitial pancreatitis or necrotizing pancreatitis. The late complications of pancreatitis can be divided into pancreatic pseudocyst due to edematous interstitial pancreatitis or walled-off necrosis due to necrotizing pancreatitis. During any time course of pancreatitis, bacteremia can provoke infection inside or outside the pancreas. The patients with infected pancreatic necrosis may have fever, chills, and abdominal pain as inflammatory symptoms. These specific clinical presentations can differentiate infected pancreatic necrosis from other pancreatic diseases. Herein, I report an atypical case of infected pancreatic necrosis in which abdominal pain, elevation of white blood cell, and fever were not found at the time of admission. Rather, a 10-kg weight loss (from 81 to 71 kg) over 2 months nearly led to a misdiagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The patient was finally diagnosed based on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration. This case highlights that awareness of the natural course of pancreatitis and infected pancreatic necrosis is important. In addition, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration should be recommended for the diagnosis and treatment of indeterminate pancreatic lesions in selected patients.


Pancreatology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobumasa Mizuno ◽  
Kazuo Hara ◽  
Susumu Hijioka ◽  
Vikram Bhatia ◽  
Yasuhiro Shimizu ◽  
...  

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