Take Care of Your Pancreas!

In case of the necrotic form of acute pancreatitis (AP) the pancreas size exceeded the norm. Depending on the degree of affection there is the increase in size of different parts of the pancreas. The pancreas changes its shape when local affection is considerable. The contours are uneven, usurious, vague. Echogenicity of the parenchyma is reduced and the apparent heterogeneity of the acoustic structure with chaotic alternation of large parts of increased and decreased echogenicity is determined. The duct system is visualized unsatisfactorily and the liquid in the omental bursa is determined as echo-free lumps in different parts of the bursa.

Patients with infiltrative necrotic form of acute pancreatitis have a large pancreatogenic of irregular shape, uneven contours, increased echogenicity, heterogeneous structure, usually located in the projection of the greater omentum and the transverse colon. The sizes of the infiltration usually vary from 5 to 15-20 cm. In case of extension of infiltration in the retroperitoneal space, the length of massive affections located much lower than the pancreas is from 10 to 20 cm and even more. Adjecent vascular structures are hardly visualized.

All patients with the aseptic form of AP have vague contours of the pancreas all the parts of which are enlarged. The patients of this group have the following typical features: the heterogeneity of the internal pancreas structure, various echogenicity, unchanged sound conduction. Vascular structure and duct system of the pancreas in most cases are not determined. We can observe pathological foci as anechoic or hypoechoic formations with clear-cut or indistinct, more often uneven contours, irregular shape, often with heterogeneous structure and thickness of walls of about 0,2-0,4 cm.