Is Ultrasound Reporting Effective In Diagnosing Pancreatic Cancer?

Posted on Fri, 5 May 2017

Question: Hi, my name is XXXXXXX XXXXXXX I run a student based medical technology company. We are currently looking into the effectiveness and limitations of ultrasound in making a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in order help push medical technology forward.

My question is "What inefficiencies/limitations does sonar technology, such as that used in ultrasound machines, have in producing an image whereby a physician can make an accurate diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in the pancreatic body and tail? And why do such limitations exist?"

Thank you!

Answered by Dr. Indu Kumar (24 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Ultrasound has few limitations in evaluating pancreatic cancer.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for writing to HealthcareMagic,
I've gone through your query and understand your concern,

Ultrasound has few limitations in evaluating pancreatic cancer especially in tail and body region.
Some isoechoic lesions in ultrasound may be missed.Limitations is also in picking small lesions and problem is aggravated due to bowel gas and deeper situation of pancreas.

Contrast CT scan and MRI are considered as investigation of choice.Both are almost equivalent.

Hope I have answered your query.
Further queries are most welcome.

Take Care
Dr. Indu XXXXXXX

Note: For further queries related to kidney problems Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T