Pancreatic carcinoma: applications for helical computed tomography.

Helical computed tomography (CT) represents a significant technical improvement over conventional (incremental) CT. This noninvasive imaging technique is now routinely used in the evaluation of patients with suspected pancreatic cancer. This paper focuses on the topics of CT technique (scanning parameters, use of intravenous contrast media, use of oral contrast media and spasmolytic agents, calculation of reformatted and projective images), as well as on the CT appearance of pancreatic carcinoma and the differential diagnosis and staging. A short comparison with other methods is included.