Differentiation of cystic pancreatic lesions by echo-enhanced sonography with pulse inversion imaging - presentation...

Echo-enhanced sonography is useful for differential diagnosis of pancreatic tumours. We present several criteria for the differentiation of cystic pancreatic lesions with this procedure using three selected patients. Cystadenomas frequently show many vessels along the fibrotic strands. On the other hand, cystadenocarcinomas are poorly and chaotically vascularised. "Young pseudocysts" frequently show a highly vascularised wall. However, the wall of "old pseudocysts" is poorly vascularised.

Cystic pancreatic masses have a different vascularisation pattern when examined by echo-enhanced sonography. These characteristics can be useful for their differential diagnosis, but histology is still the "gold standard."