The combined use of computed tomography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the assessment of suspected pancreatic neoplasm: a blind clinical evaluation

Abstract

Sixty-one consecutive patients suspected of having pancreatic neoplasms had endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and computed tomography (CT). The ERCP results were 62% accurate, 8% false negative, and 3% failure. The overall accuracy in cases of successful pancreatic duct cannulation was 88%. The results of CT were 76% correct, 5% false positive, 13% false negative, and 6% indeterminate. Excluding ERCP failure, the CT-ERCP diagnosis was identical in 67%. When findings were identical, the accuracy rate was 93%, high than that of either study alone. The ERCP-CT examinations were often complementary and generally led to a more accurate and specific diagnosis.