Imaging of cystic pancreatic lesions

Abstract

Cystic lesions of the pancreas are encountered on abdominal imaging studies on a routine basis. Cystic pancreatic lesions represent a variety of both benign and malignant disease entities that present with a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms.  Cystic pancreatic lesions are being detected at an ever increasing rate due to increasingly sophisticated imaging techniques. Various imaging modalities can be employed in the evaluation of cystic pancreatic lesions. While CT serves as the mainstay of routine pancreatic imaging, MR is becoming increasingly utilized in the detection and characterization of suspected cystic pancreatic lesions. Accurate characterization of such lesions is imperative in order to select the most appropriate clinical management.