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Home > Pancreas Diseases and Treatments > Diseases of the Pancreas > Pancreatic Cancer > Detection and Diagnosis > Diagnostic Imaging Studies
Diagnostic Imaging Studies
Imaging studies provide important visual information about the pancreas and surrounding organs and blood vessels.
They are crucial tools in diagnosing and monitoring pancreatic cancer. There are many types of imaging studies, each providing different information. Most imaging studies are non-invasive, but there are some that are invasive and require inserting an instrument into the body. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may ask that you undergo one or more of the imaging studies explained here.
Each will help your physician visualize, diagnose, and monitor a pancreatic tumor.
Non-Invasive Tests - Abdominal Ultrasound
How it works: Abdominal ultrasound is a non-invasive technique using directed sound waves to examine the body's internal organs, including the pancreas, gallbladder, liver, kidneys, spleen, stomach, and intestines. The sound waves used are of very high frequency and cannot be heard by the human ear. When the soundwaves bounce off of the internal organs they echo, creating an image called a sonogram. Since healthy tissue and tumors create different echoes, the size of the internal organs as well as the presence of a tumor can be detected using ultrasonography.
What to expect: During the examination, the patient lies on a bed with the abdomen exposed. The sonographer spreads a gel on the abdomen to help an instrument called a transducer slide smoothly across the skin and to help transmit the sound waves into the abdomen without air interference. The transducer is a hand-held instrument that sends the sound waves into the body to create the images. The test is completely painless for the patient and lasts about 20 minutes.
Considerations: If you are undergoing an ultrasound test, you may be asked not to eat or drink for 6-8 hours prior to the test. This is to make sure that only your abdominal organs are imaged. Some people may find the gel cold to the touch.
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