Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
1
Imaging Acute Pancreatitis
• Chris Allmon, Harvard Medical School
Year III
• Gillian Lieberman, MD
July 2006
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
2
Acute Pancreatitis Pathophysiology
• Blockage of the pancreatic duct leads to increased
pressure in pancreatic duct and rupture.
• Pancreatic fluid (proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes)
ruptures into pancreas parenchyma and anterior
pararenal space
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
Gore and Levine,
Textbook of
Gastrointestinal Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
3
Anatomy of the Pancreas
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
Netter, Atlas of Human Anatomy
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
4
Anterior Pararenal Space
• Kidney is
retroperitoneal
• Shares
Anterior
pararenal
space with
duodenum,
ascending and
descending
colon
• Anterior to
Aorta, IVC,
and kidneys
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
Robbins and Cotran, Pathologic Basis of Disease
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
5
Avenues of Spread of Inflammation
and Fluid in Acute Pancreatitis
• 1= spread into the lesser
sac
• 2 = spread into the
transverse mesocolon
• 3 = spread into the root of
the bowel mesentery
• 4 = extension into the
duodenum
• 5= inferior spread into the
remainder anterior
pararenal space
D = duodenum; L = lung; P = Pancreas; S =
Spleen; SBM = Small bowel Mesentery;
TC = transverse colon
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
Gore and Levine,
Textbook of Gastrointestinal Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
6
Our Patient
• CC:
– 37 yo male, HIV+, alcoholic with chronic
pancreatitis complaining of 3 days of epigastric
pain
• Hospital Course:
– 18 days in the ICU
– Intubated HD 2-15
– Discharged HD 20
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
Note: All subsequent radiographs, except “Normal
Pancreas” are from our patient.
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
7
Imaging Goals in Pancreatitis
1. Exclude other abdominal disorders that can
mimic acute pancreatitis
– DDx: acute cholecystitis, bowel obstruction or infarction,
perforated viscus, renal colic, duodenal diverticulitis,
aortic dissection, appendicitis, and ruptured abdominal
aortic aneurysm
2. Confirm clinical diagnosis of acute pancreatitis
3. Staging the disease, by evaluation of the extent
and nature of pancreatic injury and
peripancreatic inflammation
• Menu of Tests: Plain Film,Ultrasound,CT,MR
Gore and Levine,
Textbook of Gastrointestinal Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
8
Abdominal Plain Film
• Use: Quick and easy study useful in ruling out items
in the differential requiring urgent surgery like
appendicitis
• Findings of Acute Pancreatitis on Abdominal Plain
Film
– Duodenal ileus in 42% of patients
– Colon cutoff (paucity of gas distal to splenic flexure due to
spasm of colon affected by spread of pancreatic
inflammation)
– Pancreatic abscess (gas bubbles)
– Abdominal fat necrosis and saponification (effects of
activated lipase on fatty tissues)
Gore and Levine,
Textbook of Gastrointestinal Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
9
Our Patient: Duodenal Ileus
Radiograph courtesy of
Dr. Anne Kim
Gore and Levine,
Textbook
of Gastrointestinal Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
10
Plain Chest Film
• 1/3 of acute pancreatitis patients have pulmonary
changes secondary to superior spread of pancreatic
inflammation to diaphragm and lung bases
• Findings of Acute Pancreatitis
on Plain Chest Film:
– pleural effusions (seen on 10% of
chest films)
– basal atelectasis
– pulmonary infiltrates
– elevated diaphragm
– Acute Respiratory Distress
Syndrome
Gore and Levine,
Textbook of Gastrointestinal Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
11
Our Patient: Pleural Effusion and Lower Lobe
Atelectasis
Image courtesy Dr. Anne Kim
Rapid appearance of
air bronchograms
suggest Atelectasis
Diaphragms are
Silhouetted out
by Effusion
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
12
Ultrasound
• Indications
– Good screening test in mild disease, suspected biliary
pancreatitis, and thin patients lacking fat planes for good CT
evaluation
• Uses
– Exclude a diagnosis of gallstones
– Followup of pseudocysts
– Doppler of cystic masses to rule out pseudoaneurysm
• Major Limitations
– Bowel gas hinders visualization of pancreas and
extrapancreatic spread of inflammation visualization in 1/3 to
1/2 of patients.
– US cannot specifically reveal areas of necrosis – an
extremely important prognostic indicator
– Liver is internal reference for echogenicity and is often
abnormal in pancreatitis patients
Gore and Levine,
Textbook of Gastrointestinal Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
13
Image courtesy Dr. Anne Kim
Our Patient: Ultrasound Evaluation
Dirty shadows due to
overlying bowel gas
Calipers assessing
diameter of common
bile duct
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
14
Other Imaging Studies in
Acute Pancreatitis
• Barium Studies
– Inflammation of the posterior stomach with speculation
– Atony and enlarged duodenal sweep of duodenal ileus
• Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
– ERCP is rarely used in acute pancreatitis because it can
exacerbate inflammation or cause infection
• Angiography
– Usually not performed unless pseudoaneurysm is
suspected on CT that can be embollically treated
• MR
– Used in patients with contraindications to iodonated
contrast, to better delineate hemorrhagic complications, and
to accurately define the morphology of pancreatic and bile
ducts
Gore and Levine,
Textbook of Gastrointestinal Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
15
Computed Tomography
“CT is the premier imaging test in the diagnosis
and management of patients with acute
pancreatitis. It visualizes the gland, the
retroperitoneum, the abdominal ligaments,
the mesenteries, and the omenta in their
entirety.”
- Textbook of Gastrointestinal Radiology,
Gore and Levine, 2000
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
16
Patent
Airways
surrounded
by collapsed
alveolar air
spaces
Image courtesy of Dr. Anne Kim
Our Patient’s CT: Atelectasis
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
17
Bilateral fluid
accumulation
in dependent
lung regions
Image courtesy of Dr. Anne Kim
Our Patient’s CT: Pleural Effusion
ROI: 5 HU
(simple fluid)
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
18
Image courtesy of Dr. Anne Kim
Pancreas and Anterior Pararenal Space
Normal
•Homogeneous
parenchyma
•Distinct fat planes
Our Patient’s Acute
Pancreatitis
•diffuse enlargement with shaggy,
irregular borders
•“Boggy,” heterogeneous parenchyma
•Adjacent fat planes are thickened with
inflammation in anterior pararenal space
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
19
Image courtesy Dr. Anne Kim
Our Patient’s Pseudocyst in Lesser Sac or Gastric Wall
ROI:
•12 HU (simple
fluid)
•69mm x 36mm
Gore and
Levine,
Textbook of
Gastrointestina
l Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
20
Our Patient’s Evaluation for Pancreatic
Necrosis
Focal areas of necrosis
show enhancement of
less than 30 HU in
early arterial phase
These Three ROIs:
•72 HU, 66 HU, and 45 HU
Image courtesy of Dr. Anne Kim
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
21
Normal Bowel
Wall Edematous,
Inflamed Bowel
Wall
Inflamed Fat
Normal Fat
Radiograph courtesy Dr. Anne Kim
Our Patient’s Inflammation Spreads to the Transverse Colon
Gore and Levine,
Textbook of
Gastrointestinal Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
22
Our Patient’s Splenic Vein
Occlusion
Image courtesy Dr. Anne Kim
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
23
Our Patient’s Volume Rendering
Reconstruction: Splenic Vein
Occlusion
Splenic
Artery
(Occluded
Splenic V.
not visible)
Image courtesy Dr. Anne Kim
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
24
Our Patient’s Fluid Collection
Course:
Superolateral to
the region of the
lesser sac,
becoming
contiguous with
the greater
curvature of the
stomach
Structure:
ill-defined, with
indistinct
margins
Image courtesy Dr. Anne Kim
ROI: 16 HU
(simple fluid)
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
25
Following the Course of Two
Fluid Collections in Our Patient
Image courtesy of
Dr. Anne Kim
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
26
Our Patient’s Pancreatic Ascites
Dependent fluid
collection
between liver
and diaphragm
ROI: 14 HU
Image courtesy Dr. Anne Kim
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
27
Pancreatitis: Still A Major
Diagnostic Challenge
• CT has dramatically improved the
diagnosis and treatment of acute
pancreatitis, but…
1. Only 1 in 3 severe cases of acute
pancreatitis is recognized to be severe at
initial presentation.
2. 42% of fatal cases of acute pancreatitis
do not have the correct diagnosis before
autopsy.
Gore and Levine,
Textbook of Gastrointestinal Radiology
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
28
Sources
•
Textbook of Gastrointestinal Radiology / [edited by]
Richard M. Gore, Marc S. Levine. London : W. B.
Saunders Co., c2000.
•
Netter, Frank H. (Frank Henry), 1906-1991. Atlas of Human Anatomy / by Frank H. Netter; John T.
Hansen, consulting editor. Teterboro, N.J. : Icon
Learning Systems, 2003.
•
Robbins and Cotran
Pathologic Basis of Disease.
Philadelphia : Elsevier Saunders, c2005.
Chris Allmon, HMS III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
29
Acknowledgements
• Anne “AC” Kim, MD
• Gillian Lieberman, MD
• Pamela Lepkowski
• Larry Barbaras, Webmaster
Imaging Acute Pancreatitis
Acute Pancreatitis Pathophysiology
Anatomy of the Pancreas
Anterior Pararenal Space
Avenues of Spread of Inflammation and Fluid in Acute Pancreatitis
Our Patient
Imaging Goals in Pancreatitis
Abdominal Plain Film
Our Patient: Duodenal Ileus
Plain Chest Film
Our Patient: Pleural Effusion and Lower Lobe Atelectasis
Ultrasound
Our Patient: Ultrasound Evaluation
Other Imaging Studies in Acute Pancreatitis
Computed Tomography
Our Patient’s CT: Atelectasis
Our Patient’s CT: Pleural Effusion
Pancreas and Anterior Pararenal Space
Our Patient’s Pseudocyst in Lesser Sac or Gastric Wall
Our Patient’s Evaluation for Pancreatic Necrosis
Our Patient’s Inflammation Spreads to the Transverse Colon
Our Patient’s Splenic Vein Occlusion
Our Patient’s Volume Rendering Reconstruction: Splenic Vein Occlusion
Our Patient’s Fluid Collection
Following the Course of Two Fluid Collections in Our Patient
Our Patient’s Pancreatic Ascites
Pancreatitis: Still A Major Diagnostic Challenge
Sources
Acknowledgements