[Spiral CT of the pancreas]

Spiral CT allows rapid acquisition of axial images during a single breath-hold. This results in optimal vascular and parenchymal opacification and eliminates respiratory misregistration. These factors also contribute to high quality multiplanar displays. Double phase spiral CT allows repeated scanning in the vascular (arterial) phase and in the parenchymal phase after contrast injection, resulting in optimal detection of parenchymal as well as vascular lesions. The advantages and applications of spiral scanning for imaging the pancreas are discussed.