Multislice spiral CT for the diagnostics of pancreatic tumors

Purpose. Investigation of the capabilities of MSCT and its value for the st aging of pancreatic carcinomas. Methods. 50 Patients with suspected pancreatic carcinoma were examined with a biphasic multislice-spiral-CT protocol:slice collimation 4x1 mm, Pitch 3 .5-4 mm. After administation of 120 ml contrast medium and 50 mi NaCl with a flow rate of 3.0 ml/s the examination was started with a delay of 40 s (p ancreatic phase) and 80 s (portalvenous phase). Results. Multislice spiral CT allows the examination of the whole upper abd omen with nearly isotropic data sets. This is the premise for the optimal a ssessment of the tumor extent in all planes, excellent demarcation of the t umor against the adjacent vessels and organs and the demarcation of small p eripancreatic lymph nodes. Conclusions. Multislice spiral CT and the use of interactive multiplanar re constructions improve the staging of pancreatic cancer.