[Differential diagnosis of pancreatic tumor by contrast enhanced color Doppler ultrasonography].

For evaluating abdominal hemodynamic changes and diagnosing mass lesion, recently color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) have been applied. However, there are limitations in visualizing Doppler signals in small vessels with low flow velocity. To overcome these shortcomings, several contrast agents that facilitate evaluation of abdominal hemodynamics have been developed. We underwent Contrast enhanced color Doppler ultrasonography (CECD) with a galactose-based contrast agent in three patients with pancreatic tumor. In the patient with tumor forming pancreatitis, only CECD visualized the color signal in and around the tumor. In the patient with duct cell cancer, CDUS and CECD visualized only the color signal of the splenic artery penetrating the tumor, whereas in the patient with islet cell tumor, CECD visualized numerous color signals in the tumor. CECD appears to be useful in diagnosing pancreatic tumor.