Assessment of Pancreatic Duct Dilation in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer and Chronic Pancreatitis using Ultrasonography: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: The present study aimed to assess the main pancreatic duct (PD) in patients with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer (PC) to determine the prevalence of dilation in both conditions. Methods and Results: A retrospective study was conducted at King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh from December 2019 to March 2020 on the use of ultrasonography to assess PD in patients with PC and CP. The sample included 73 patients: 39 (21 females and 18 males) with PC and 34 (20 males and 14 females) with CP. The diameter of the main PD was measured by ultrasonography. The mean age for PC patients was 61.17±13.96 years, and for CP patients - 42.14±17.08 years (P=0.000). The diameter of the main PD in PC was 0.52±0.22 cm, and in CP, it was 0.51±0.28 cm (P=0.865). Our results suggest that the dilation of the PD is one feature that accompanies PC and CP. In our study, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of dilation in both conditions (64.1% and 64.7%). Additionally, PC is 2.4 times more likely to be associated with diabetes mellitus than CP. Conclusion: PC occurs more commonly in the older age group, while CP occurs more commonly in the younger age group. Most cases of PC and CP were associated with dilation of the PD with no significant difference in the amount of dilation.

Keywords

• pancreatic cancer
• chronic pancreatitis
• ultrasound
• pancreatic duct dilatation