Endoscopic pancreatic cytology and retrograde cholangiopancrestography (ERCP) were performed to 81 patients. Cytological materials were collected by aspiration after secretin-stimulation, brushig, pumping with saline and direct suction. By cytodiagnosis, positive results were obtained in 20 cases of 36 cases (55.6%) of pancreatic carcinoma. In 14 cases of carcinoma of the pancreatic head, positive results were obtained in 11 cases (78.6%) and in 20 cases of the body and tail, positive results were obtained in only 7 cases (35.0%). There were three false positive cases by cytodiagnosis. These clinical final diagnoses were all chronic pancreatitis. Two cases were diagnosed as malignancy and one case as chronic pancreatitis by ERCP. It is difficult to differentiate pancreatic malignancy from chronic pancreatitis in the diagnosis of ERCP, and to differentiate cells of well diffrentiated tubular adenocarcinoma from atypical hyperplastic cells at inflammation, in the cytodiagnosis of pure pancreatic juice.
