[Sonographic study of the pancreas and the large epigastric vessels]

Abdominal ultrasound is an ideal screening method for pancreatic disease. Compared with CT and ERCP ultrasound is the best method for diagnosis of pseudocysts of pancreas. For chronic pancreatitis ERCP exceeds by far ultrasound. The minimal size of tumors of the pancreas for sonographic diagnosis is 1.5 cm. In case of adipose patients and of tumors of the cauda of pancreas CT has a better diagnostic sensitivity than ultrasound. Modern high resolution real-time sonography succeeds well in imaging of the big abdominal vessels and diagnosing aneurysms of aorta, tumor invasion and thrombosis of the big veins.