B. Boozari et al., Evaluation by 3D and colour Doppler sonography of a cystic tumour located at the head of pancreas., ULTRASC MED, 19(6), 1998, pp. 280-285
Aim: Differential diagnosis of cystic lesions in the abdomen may be very di
fficult. We present the clinical manifestation and the diagnostic steps of
a rare case of an aneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery mimicking a cystic
lesion. We also discuss the imaging methods we used to verify the diagnosis
such as colour Doppler sonography and 3D-sonography. Method and Patient: A
42-year old woman with chronic pancreatitis was admitted to our hospital a
fter an extended diagnostic program (sonography, computed tomography and la
paroscopy) with the diagnosis of a pancreatic pseudocyst with vascular arro
sion. Using conventional sonography we found a cystic lesion of 5 x 5 cm di
ameter with parietal deposits between pancreas and coeliac trunk. After col
our Doppler sonography we found an arterial jet in the cystic tumor; initia
lly the source of the jet seemed to be the hepatic artery. We referred the
patient to our department of radiology with the diagnosis of hepatic artery
aneurysm. The aneurysm was confirmed by the angiography and was embolised
with coils in the same session. However, the source of the aneurysm was not
the hepatic, but the gastroduodenal artery. By postangiographical 3D-sonog
raphy we could clearly reconstruct the relation of the aneurysm to the gast
roduodenal artery. Conclusion: Colour Doppler sonography should be the firs
t imaging tool for clarifying cystic lesions in the abdomen. 3D-sonography
is a reliable and useful method to identify visceral vessels of the abdomen
. Nowadays the "gold standard" angiography should preferably be used as a t
herapeutic procedure.