Mucinous Tumors of the Exocrine Pancreas: Intraductal Mucin-Hypersecreting Neoplasms

Mucinous Tumors of the Exocrine Pancreas: Intraductal Mucin-Hypersecreting Neoplasms

MRCP has emerged as a new noninvasive technology to assess both pancreatic and bile ducts without the use of contrast material or endoscopy. A study by Koito and colleagues [14] compared MRCP to ERCP in the diagnosis of mucin-hypersecreting tumors of the pancreas. MRCP showed cystic dilated branches of the pancreas better than ERCP. The numbers of nodules or septa that were detectable by MRCP and ERCP were similar. The authors concluded that MRCP appears to be more effective than ERCP for the detection of intraductal cystic lesions of mucin-producing pancreatic tumors. Because some of these tumors are not malignant and do not require surgery, MRCP offers a less invasive alternative to ERCP for follow-up studies. In the study by Yamaguchi et al, [15] the details of cystic lesions of the branch ducts (eg, mural nodule, communication with main pancreatic duct) were more clearly demonstrated by ERCP than by MRCP. ERCP was clear-ly superior in demonstration of normal main pancreatic duct and its branches. These two studies suggest that both ERCP and MRCP are complementary studies that are helpful in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with IPMTs.