Significance and Prevalence of Haziness Surrounding the Hepatic Artery and Celiac Axis on Computed Tomographic Imaging After Pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence and significance of "haziness" around the hepatic artery and celiac axis in patients after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 116 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy or a similar procedure and had no clinical evidence of tumor recurrence or malignancy within 2 years from the date of surgery.

Results: Most images exhibited at least mild to moderate haziness around the hepatic artery and celiac axis. Patients with benign vs malignant results on formal pathology had no significant difference in severity of findings. Haziness remained in the mild to moderate range 2 years after surgery.

Conclusions: Mild to moderate soft tissue stranding with increased attenuation around the hepatic artery and celiac axis is a common finding after pancreaticoduodenectomy that may persist for years after surgery. Such haziness alone has low specificity for tumor recurrence and should not be regarded as an indicator of malignancy.