[Current value of sonography in pancreas diagnosis]

The topical value of sonography in pancreas diagnosis is examined and discussed in a retrospective study comprising 264 patients. In 80% of the cases sonography can supply clear results if conditions of examination are optimal. Sonography is of excellent value in examining the normal pancreas (88%) and in identifying a pancreatic pseudocyst (93%) and carcinoma of the pancreas (87%). The sonographically guided fine-needle puncture enables cytological verification in more than 60% of the cases of carcinoma of the pancreas by detecting the presence of malignant cells. Invasive investigation methods are used on-target. Thanks to its high power of resolution, computerized tomography is considered as the method of choice in the diagnosis of inflammatory diseases of the pancreas and in clarifying a sonographic finding which lacks clarity. Today the emphasis of ERCP is mainly on detecting ductal changes when suspecting chronic pancreatitis or carcinoma of the pancreas.