Comparison of ultrasound and computed tomography in the detection of pancreatic malignancy

A retrospective analysis was performed on 102 patients who were examined by both ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) for known or possible carcinoma of the pancreas. In 38% of the patients, ultrasonography was unsatisfactory due to overlying interfering intestinal gas or ascites, whereas only 2% of CT studies were unsatisfactory due to technical considerations. In comparing the two modalities, CT was found to be more accurate (96% CT vs. 84% US), and this became more significant when nondiagnostic studies were considered in evaluating accuracy (95% CT vs. 54% US). Because of the findings in this analysis, CT is recommended as the initial diagnostic imaging modality for the evaluation of possible pancreatic neoplasm.