The normal pancreas: acoustic characteristics and frequency of imaging.

This article reports the results of a study designed to evaluate both pancreatic echogenicity and success of visualizing recognizable pancreatic tissue. The acoustic characteristics of the normal pancreas were compared with those of the liver. Of 100 scans reviewed, 65 scans (65 percent) depicted recognizable pancreatic tissue. Two cases were discarded on the basis of hepatocellular disease, and one case was discarded because of hepatic metastases. Thirty-two cases demonstrated pancreatic echogenicity greater than that of the liver, and 30 cases demonstrated pancreatic echogenicity equivalent to that of the liver. We found no normal pancreas that displayed less echogenicity than the liver. A hypothesis is offered to explain the observed results.