New sonographic imaging observations in focal pancreatitis

The imaging findings that ultrasonographically differentiate focal acute pancreatitis (FAP) from a malignant lesion of the pancreas are described. Focal acute pancreatitis is ultrasonographically (US) characterized as a hypoechoic, homogeneous, localized, subsegmental, non-expansive and diffusely demarcated lesion located mostly in the head of the pancreas. It could not be visualized using CT. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) performed in 13 of the 32 patients, showed chronic pancreatitis. Focal acute pancreatitis disappeared in 1-6 months at US follow-up. The clinical diagnoses were acute pancreatitis in 11 patients, chronic pancreatitis in 12 patients, biliary disease in 5 patients, hepatopathia in 1 patient while the diagnosis was unknown in 2 patients. No patient developed any pancreatic cancer during a median of 85 months of follow-up. In conclusion, the present data indicate that patients with FAP at US, without any focal lesion seen on either CT or ERCP, have a benign pancreatic lesion, which resolves in 1-6 months; thus, such patients probably do not need any further investigation or follow-up at all.