Critical Evaluation and Controversial Points of Ultrasound Findings in Chronic Pancreatitis

Abstract

The importance of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of pancreatic disease is no longer in question. It is, however, interesting to note how variable the confidence of diferent authors is in this technique for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis Doust and Pearce [7], Lawson [9], and Gowland et al. [8] were often unable to differentiate chronic pancreatitis from the normal pancreas, while Weill et al. [10,11] consistently maintain that the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis can be ultrasonographically made in over 90% of patients. This discrepancy reflects the difficulty of this diagnosis and that some points have yet to be clarified.