Significance of ultrasound examination and computed tomography in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

• Published in: Vestnik hirurgii im. I.I. Grekova Vol. 160; no. 5; p. 61
• Main Authors: Kokhanenko, N Iu, Amosov, V I, Nikonchuk, N P, Mosiagina, S G, Bryzgalova, S V, Dundukov, N N, Kovaleva, O V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Russia (Federation) 2001
• Subjects: Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pancreatic Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Ultrasonography, Doppler
• ISSN: 0042-4625

The diagnostic sensitivity of USI for localization of a tumor of the pancreatic head was 89.3%, specificity--69.7%, exactness--84.4%. When the tumor was localized in the body-tail these indices were 85.7%, 73.4% and 78.7% respectively. The sensitivity of CT in cases when the localization of the tumor was in the head of the pancreas was 84.9%, specificity--72.2%, exactness--76.5%. When the tumors were localized in the body-tail these indices were 89.5%, 75.4% and 80.9% respectively. An associated analysis of information of the ultrasound and CT concerning the structure of the pancreas made the exactness of the diagnosis of malignization as high as 87.6%, specificity as high as 81.3%, sensitivity as high as 93.7%. The informative value of USI and CT depended on the tumor size, the presence of an inflammatory reaction of the pancreas, the character of a complication, if any, or of their combinations, localization and size of the pathological focus. In the investigation no alterations in the pancreas characteristic only of cancer were found. Thus, a comparison of diagnostic potentials of USI and CT has shown that one method does not exclude, but only supplements the other. CT gives more reliable results in the assessment of the process spread to the surrounding tissues and regional lymph nodes, especially when the tumor is localized in the area of the pancreas tail. USI helps to make more exact assessment of the involvement in the process of the common bile duct, pancreatic duct, and of the visceral vessels by the Doppler examination.