Inflammatory mimickers of pancreatic adenocarcinoma

• Published in: Abdominal imaging Vol. 45; no. 5; pp. 1387 - 1396
• Main Authors: Kothari, Kunal, Lopes Vendrami, Camila, Kelahan, Linda C., Shin, Joon Soo, Mittal, Pardeep, Miller, Frank H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.05.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma; Adenocarcinoma - diagnostic imaging; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal - diagnostic imaging; Diagnosis; Diagnosis, Differential; Gastroenterology; Hepatology; Humans; Imaging; Inflammation; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Pancreas; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Pancreatitis; Pancreatitis - diagnostic imaging; Radiology; Special Section: Pancreatitis; Computed tomography; Magnetic resonance imaging; Autoimmune pancreatitis; Pancreatic cancer; Chronic pancreatitis; Pancreatitis
• ISSN: 2366-004X; 2366-0058
• DOI: 10.1007/s00261-019-02233-7

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma can be a difficult imaging diagnosis early in its course given its subtle imaging findings such as focal pancreatic duct dilatation, abrupt duct cut-off, and encasement of vasculature. A variety of pancreatitidies have imaging findings that mimic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and lead to mass formation making diagnosis even more difficult on imaging alone. These conditions include acute focal pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, autoimmune pancreatitis, and paraduodenal (“groove”) pancreatitis. This review will focus on imaging findings that can help differentiate these inflammatory processes from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.