Undetected pancreatic carcinoma: retrospective analysis of missed findings at computed tomography
Journal Title: Hellenic Journal of Radiology - Year 2017, Vol 2, Issue 3
Abstract
Purpose Our purpose was to retrospectively investigate whether prediagnostic CT scan may show suggestive findings of early pancreatic cancer. Material and Methods We searched our radiology and surgery database to identify all patients who had a CT diagnosis of PDA at our institution in a three-year span, and reviewed our PACS system to search whether any of these patients had CT or MR examinations performed before the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was made. We therefore looked for the presence of pancreatic duct dilatation and/or interruption, distal parenchymal atrophy, contour abnormality and focal hypodense lesion in the prediagnostic CT scans. Results Three patients had performed previous imaging examinations showing findings suspicious for pancreatic cancer 1-6 months earlier that diagnostic CT. A focal attenuation difference, followed by contour abnormality and upstream pancreatic duct dilatation were the most encountered findings, while upstream pancreatic parenchymal atrophy was encountered just in one patient. Conclusions Prediagnostic CT can detect findings suggestive of incident early pancreatic cancers. The most common suggestive findings are focal hypodense lesion and pancreatic duct dilatation and/or interruption.
Authors and Affiliations
Federica Vernuccio, Massimo Midiri, Roberto Lagalla, Giuseppe Brancatelli
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP374071
- DOI -
- Views 118
- Downloads 0
Imaging of ovarian cancer: Current concepts.
Despite the advances in medicine over the past decades, ovarian cancer remains a major clinical and radiological challenge worldwide, with the highest mortality rate among gynaecologic malignancies. Modern histopathologi...
Bilateral Shoulder Pain
A 63-year-old male patient presented in the outpatient Orthopaedic Clinic with longstanding pain of both shoulders, more intense at night and at lying on the side. On clinical examination there was restricted movement, p...
Haemodynamically unstable patient with chest trauma
A 47-year-old male patient presented to our hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) department after involvement in a side impact motor vehicle accident. Notes from paramedics and witnesses described that the speed of the...
Diabetic patient with painful swelling of the shoulder and arm
A 42-year-old female patient with known type II diabetes mellitus presented to the Emergency Department with significant swelling and increasing pain of the right shoulder-arm radiating to the axillary fossa and lateral...
Cerebral perfusion disturbances in traumatic brain injury: A preliminary study about direct and indirect effects on memory and psychoemotional outcome
Purpose: To investigate possible associations between hemodynamic changes and psychoemotional/cognitive status in patients with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods and Materials: Dynamic Susceptibility Contra...