[Echography, computerized tomography and retrograde cholangiopancreatography for the diagnosis of focal pathology of the exocrine pancreas].

In spite of the improved imaging techniques currently available, mortality for pancreatic cancer is still high, and pancreatitis is often diagnosed only in its advanced stages. The authors investigated the value of different imaging techniques--i.e., US, CT, and ERCP--for an early diagnosis, when a more effective (curative?) treatment can be suggested. Fifty-six cases of pancreatic cancer and 36 cases of chronic pancreatitis were evaluated. The results indicate that ERCP, with the help of statistical methods, is superior to US and CT not only in evaluating early neoplastic or inflammatory lesions, but also for their differential diagnosis. In the latter case, ERCP can sometimes be used as a valid alternative to fine-needle aspiration biopsy.