CAJ | 학술논문

AIM: To describe and discuss echo-enhanced sonography in the differential diagnosis of cystic pancreatic lesions.METHODS: The pulse inversion technique (with intravenous injection of 2.4 mL SonoVue(R)) or the power-Doppler mode under the conditions of the 2nd harmonic imaging (with intravenous injection of 4 g Levovist(R)) was used for echo-enhanced sonography.RESULTS: Cystadenomas frequently showed many vessels along fibrotic strands. On the other hand,cystadenocarcinomas were poorly and chaotically vascularized. "Young pseudocysts" were frequently found to have a highly vascularised wall. However, the wall of the "old pseudocysts" was poorly vascularized. Data from prospective studies demonstrated that based on these imaging criteria the sensitivities and specificities of echoenhanced sonography in the differentiation of cystic pancreatic masses were ＞ 90%.CONCLUSION: Cystic pancreatic masses have a different vascularization pattern at echo-enhanced sonography. These characteristics are useful for their differential diagnosis, but histology is still the gold standard.