Quantitative ultrasound and the pancreas

Abstract

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. Cerulein-induced pancreatitis in animal models can cause a significant increase in pancreatic enzymes in blood, as well as interstitial edema and inflammatory cell infiltration in the pancreas. This degree of pancreatitis is mild; all animals survive the induction of pancreatitis and resolves within ~6 days after induction, making this an excellent model to study the attenuation coefficient (AC: dB/cm-MHz) and backscatter coefficient (BSC: 1/cm-sr) of the pancreas temporally. The edematous stroma and shrinkage and dedifferentiation of acinar cells, has certain similarities with the morphology in some forms of pancreatic carcinoma. The pancreas’ AC and BSC (20-50 MHz) were estimated in vivo and ex vivo at baseline (before cerulein injections) and at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after cerulein injections in Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 24). AC and BSC showed the same trends whereby (relative to baseline values) the 24-h AC decreased ~0.3 dB/cm-MHz and BSC decreased ~1-2 dB w...