Role of MDCT and CT Angiography in staging of pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Objectives: Staging of pancreatic cancer including vascular staging by use of CT angiography with assessment of presence of direct invasion of surrounding structures or distant metastasis.Patients and Methods: In our study 50 patients with pancreatc cancer were examined with CT angiography to assessresectability and the presence or absence of vascular infiltration of 5 main peri-pancreatc vessels which are celiac artery (CA), superior mesenteric artery (SMA), common hepatic artery (CHA), superior mesenteric vein ( SMV) and portal vein (PV). We assessed five vessels in fifty patientsi.e two hundred and fifty vessels as a whole.Results: Twenty four patients were pre-operatively judged to be resectable or requiring surgical bypass due to jaundice. The remaining 26 patients were judged to be irresectable from the start and referred for chemotherapy or radio-therapy.Conclusion:CT angiography proved to be an important tool in assessing intra abdominal malignancy specially the cancer of the pancreas which in most of cases is missed by abdominal ultrasonography.