Imaging IPMN: take home messages and news

IPMN is a frequent disease involving pancreatic duct. This disease could be malignant (parenchymal invasive adenocarcinoma), particularly if the main pancreatic duct is involved (this involvement is considered present if > 6 mm), if this enlargement reaches 10 mm or more, and if the pathological phenotype is biliopancreatic or intestinal (malignancy is less frequent if gastric one). Invasiveness is suspected if hypodense parenchymal lesion is present, particularly near a cystical lesion or MPD, a mural nodule of the wall, or if MPD wall has got a contrast uptake. Mural nodules inside cystic branch duct are associated with in situ grade 3 malignancies. MPD IPMN must be resected to prevent malignancy. The follow-up of isolated branch duct cysts relies upon MDCT and MRI, every two years if lesion is less than 1cm. Every one year if bigger, particularly if more than to 3 cm.