[Computerized tomography of pancreatic tumors].

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Pancreatic carcinoma is rarely diagnosed at an early, resectable stage, leading to poor survival rates.
• Accurate imaging for early diagnosis and staging is crucial to differentiate operable from inoperable pancreatic cancer.
• Conventional CT has limitations in detecting small metastases and vascular encasement, leading to errors in staging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of dual-phase helical CT in the early diagnosis and accurate staging of pancreatic carcinoma.
• To assess the ability of helical CT to detect key factors determining resectability, such as liver metastases, peritoneal implants, lymph node involvement, and vascular encasement.

Main Methods:

• Utilized dual-phase helical CT with contrast material infusion, acquiring images during both arterial and venous phases.
• Analyzed image sets for detection of tumor vascular encasement, hepatic metastases, peritoneal implants, and lymph node involvement.
• Compared dual-phase helical CT with conventional CT and endoscopic ultrasonography for diagnostic accuracy.

Main Results:

• Dual-phase helical CT demonstrates high sensitivity (approaching 100%) in predicting unresectable pancreatic carcinoma.
• Improved detection of liver metastases, peritoneal implants, and vascular encasement compared to conventional CT.
• Dual-phase helical CT achieved 100% accuracy in predicting unresectable disease, outperforming endoscopic ultrasonography (86%) for this specific metric.

Conclusions:

• Dual-phase helical CT significantly enhances the detection and staging accuracy of pancreatic carcinoma.
• This technique is valuable for identifying unresectable disease, aiding in treatment planning and improving patient outcomes.
• Helical CT shows potential as an alternative to angiography for evaluating vascular involvement in pancreatic cancer.