Pancreatic disease in children and young adults: evaluation with CT

In children with pancreatic disease, computed tomography (CT) has a primary role in the evaluation of pancreatitis, trauma, and malignancy. At CT, pancreatic abnormalities may manifest as pancreatic enlargement (tumor, acute pancreatitis), pancreatic atrophy (cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis), cystic lesions (pseudocysts, congenital simple cysts, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, von Hippel-Lindau disease, cystic fibrosis, cystic neoplasms), or fatty replacement (cystic fibrosis, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, history of steroid therapy, Cushing syndrome, Johanson-Blizzard syndrome, obesity). CT is the best modality for evaluation of pancreatitis, allowing detection of pancreatic abnormalities as well as abnormal extrapancreatic fluid collections. In children who have undergone blunt abdominal trauma, CT has been shown to be the best initial imaging study, being more sensitive than ultrasound for detection of pancreatic injury. In neoplastic conditions, CT demonstrates the extent of disease, enables characterization of the tissue components of the tumor, and allows accurate posttreatment follow-up. Although the various diseases of the pancreas may have overlapping appearances at CT, the correct diagnosis can often be made on the basis of the CT findings in combination with the clinical history, laboratory data, and the patient's age.