[CT/MRI: gold standard in pancreatic diseases]

Diagnostic evaluation of the pancreas using CT and MRI has been improved and protocols have been specified in much more detail during recent years. Computed tomography affords high-resolution, nearly isotropic 3D imaging, is highly sensitive for calcification and is usually preferred in trauma and intensive care patients as well as in case of a need of imaging multiple regions. MRI, due to its higher contrast, often provides a better differentiation between different etiologies and an improved staging in case of neoplastic disease; non-invasively it allows for a simultaneous evaluation of the pancreas, the pancreatic and biliary ducts as well as the blood vessels. Modern techniques and protocols of both imaging procedures, their advantages and disadvantages and the clinical results with different types of pathology are presented.