Helical CT evaluation of arterial invasion in pancreatic tumors: comparison with angiography.

Background: Although helical computed tomography (HCT) has been widely employed for the evaluation of pancreatic tumors, its capability in the diagnosis of peripancreatic arterial invasion has not been established.

Methods: HCT with a sequential cine-display was carried out in 34 patients with solid pancreatic tumors and 28 control subjects without angiographic abnormality. The HCT scans were compared with angiograms.

Results: All major arteries (celiac, superior mesenteric, splenic, gastroduodenal) and superoanterior pancreaticoduodenal arteries were well demonstrated by HCT in control subjects. However, posterior pancreaticoduodenal arcades and other smaller arteries were poorly identified. Although 19 major arterial invasions were equally diagnosed by HCT and angiography in patients with pancreatic tumors, only 4 of 11 minor arterial invasions were correctly diagnosed by HCT.

Conclusions: Although HCT has some limitations in the evaluation of minor peripancreatic arteries, it can provide enough information for making a decision about conducting pancreatic surgery.