Dilated extrahepatic ducts simulating low density mass in the region of the head of the pancreas-a case report

Radiology of pancreatic neoplasms: An update

Diagnostic imaging is an important tool to evaluate pancreatic neoplasms. We describe the imaging features of pancreatic malignancies and their benign mimics. Accurate detection and staging are essential for ensuring appropriate selection of patients who will benefit from surgery and for preventing unnecessary surgeries in patients with unresectable disease. Ultrasound, multidetector computed tomography with multiplanar reconstruction and magnetic resonance imaging can help to do a correct diagnosis. Radiologists should be aware of the wide variety of anatomic variants and pathologic conditions that may mimic pancreatic neoplasms. The knowledge of the most important characteristic key findings may facilitate the right diagnosis.

Pancreatic and peripancreatic diseases mimicking primary pancreatic neoplasia

A variety of anatomic variants and pathologic conditions in and around the pancreas may simulate primary pancreatic neoplasia at routine abdominal cross-sectional imaging. An ambiguous lesion whose appearance suggests a pancreatic origin requires a broad differential diagnosis that can subsequently be narrowed on the basis of both clinical history and features at optimal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Pancreas-specific multidetector CT and MR imaging techniques with thin collimation, multiplanar and multiphasic scans, and newly introduced curved planar reformation may help avoid potential diagnostic pitfalls. These techniques can help identify and characterize a mass in multiple viewing planes, thereby helping distinguish a true pancreatic neoplasm from peripancreatic adenopathy or from a tumor of the adjacent duodenum or small bowel. They can also help determine the cause of a tumor. It is important that the radiologist be familiar with the wide spectrum of anatomic variants and disease entities that can mimic primary pancreatic neoplasia in order to initiate the appropriate lesion-specific work-up and treatment and avoid unnecessary tests or procedures, including surgery.

Peripancreatic masses that simulate pancreatic disease: spectrum of disease and role of CT

A number of entities can simulate pancreatic disease at computed tomography (CT), which may lead to misdiagnosis. Common pitfalls include peripancreatic lesions of the foregut, adrenal gland, and kidney as well as disease of the mesentery and neurovascular structures. Optimal design and application of multi-detector row CT protocols with multiplanar reformation and maximum-intensity-projection and volume-rendering postprocessing improves the specificity of image interpretation. In most cases, helical CT is highly accurate for distinguishing primary disease of the pancreas from adjacent disease, although there are cases in which the differential diagnosis is more challenging and the potential for misdiagnosis still exists. Familiarity with some of the entities that can simulate pancreatic disease, careful attention to scanning protocol and contrast material administration, use of the full potential of multi-detector row CT data sets, and judicious application of postprocessing tools may help avoid some of the pitfalls caused by peripancreatic lesions.