Abstract
Purpose: We focused on the characteristic changes in ultrasonograms of the pancreas in patents diagnosed with alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis (ALC) and examined the frequency of occurrence of these changes. Subjects and Methods: Of 211 patients who were clinically or pathologically diagnosed with ALC during the period from November 2001 through September 2010, we selected 189 patients (175 males, 14 females, average age: 61.1 years, age range: 32-90 years) by excluding patients who had already been diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis (CP) and those who showed poor ultrasonographic images of the pancreas. Ultrasonograms were evaluated by three sonographers with 10 or more years of experience each. Results and Discussion: 1. 71.4% of the cases examined had low levels of echogenicity in pancreatic parenchyma. 2. 95.2% had dotted or linear hyperechoic foci in pancreatic parenchyma. 3. 72.5% had echogenic foci at the marginal zone of the pancreas. Moreover, 70.3% of the cases showed all of the three findings described above. These characteristics in ultrasonograms of the pancreas may reflect the chronic changes observed in the pancreatic parenchyma of CP patients, such as increased inhomogeneous formation of fibrous tissue, cellular infiltration, destruction of the parenchyma, and formation of granulation tissue. Conclusion: Ultrasonography, as a handy and noninvasive imaging technique, may be useful in early diagnostic evaluation of CP.
