Ultrasonography.  2017 Jul;36(3):260-269. 10.14366/usg.16039.

Differential diagnosis between intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm with an associated invasive carcinoma and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma on ultrasonography: the utility of echo intensity and contrast enhancement

• Saito M
• Hirokawa N
• Usami Y
• Someya M
• Sakata KI

• KMID: 2384800
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14366/usg.16039

Abstract

PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of echo intensity and contrast enhancement in the differential diagnosis between intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm with an associated invasive carcinoma (IPMN-IC) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) on ultrasonography.
METHODS
This study included eight and 37 patients who had pathologically confirmed IPMN-IC and PDAC, respectively, and were enrolled for a comparative analysis of the sonographic features of the tumors. In the quantitative echo intensity evaluation, the two groups were compared with respect to the difference between the tumor intensity and the pancreatic intensity (TI-PI) and between the tumor intensity and the vascular intensity (TI-VI). In the quantitative contrast enhancement evaluation, the increase in echo intensity (ΔTI) and increase in echo intensity per unit of time (slope) were compared between the groups. The echo intensity and contrast enhancement were also compared between the two groups in patients with T3-T4 disease. In addition, the correlations of the histological type, tumor size, stromal type, and T factor with echogenicity and contrast enhancement were analyzed.
RESULTS
IPMN-IC had significantly greater echo intensity and contrast enhancement than PDAC (TI-PI, P=0.004; TI-VI, P=0.001; ΔTI, P=0.012; slope, P=0.002). In T3-T4 disease, IPMN-IC also showed greater echo intensity and faster enhancement than PDAC. Echo intensity and contrast enhancement were correlated with histological type (TI-PI, P=0.003; TI-VI, P<0.001; ΔTI, P=0.007; slope, P<0.001).
CONCLUSION
IPMN-IC and PDAC can be differentiated by the quantitative evaluation of echo intensity and contrast enhancement.

Keyword

Ultrasonography; Sonazoid; Carcinoma, pancreatic ductal; Diagnosis, differential

MeSH Terms

Adenocarcinoma*
Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal
Diagnosis, Differential*
Evaluation Studies as Topic
Humans
Mucins*
Pancreatic Ducts*
Ultrasonography*
Mucins