Clinopathological Analysis of Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Pancreatic Carcinoma

Kenji Nishihara, Ryoichi Shimizu, Yuji Shinagawa, Toshiaki Shiraga, Hiroshi Tominaga, Akira Kawamura, Yuichiro Hamanaka, Takuo Murakami, Takashi Suzuki

The Second Department of Surgery, Yamaguchi University Medical School

We analyzed the magnetic resonance (MR) images of pancreaic carcinoma in contrast to operative findings, appearance of the cut surface of the removed tumor, pathohistological findings, and MR images of the resected specimen. Seventeen patients with pancreatic carcinoma who underwent surgery were studied. We divided the MR images into four types. The first type was that in which carcinoma showed apparently different signal intensity from that of the surrounding pancreaic tissue. The second type was that in which carcinoma was recognized as the tumor protruded from the pancreatic tissue. The third type was that in which carcinoma was recognized only by the finding of vessel deformity. The fourth type was that in which MR images showed no abnormal findings. In the first type, many tumors appeared nodular on gross examination, and microscopically appeared medually in inerstitional tissue; degeneration of the distal pancreatic tissue was relatively slight. In the third and fourth types, many tumors appeared infiltrative on gross examination, and microscopically appeared scirrous in interstitional tissue; degeneration of the distal pancreatic tissue was severe. The MR imaging of pancreatic carcinoma indicated the nature of the tumors and the surrounding pancreatic tissue so well that it might be useful for preoperative diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma.

Key words
magnetic resonance imaging, pancreatic carcinoma, macroscopic and microscopic features of pancreatic carcinoma

Reprint requests
Kenji Nishihara The Second Department of Surgery, Yamaguchi University Medical School
1144 Kogushi, Ube, 755 JAPAN

Accepted
May 9, 1990

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