Pancreatic Elastography

Abstract

Pancreatic elastography represents a challenging new procedure for inflammatory pathology or tumour masses. There are technical difficulties for accurate assessment of pancreatic stiffness due to deep localization. But the new software for both conventional and endoscopic ultrasound are promising techniques for differential diagnosis between malignant tumours and different forms of chronic pancreatitis (groove pancreatitis or autoimmune pancreatitis). Early diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, noninvasively by transabdominal shear wave elastography, is actively studied nowadays. Elastography might offer a predictive tool for the occurrence of pancreatic fistula after pancreatoduodenectomy. This chapter introduces the recent innovation of pancreatic elastography and makes recommendations for its use.