Endoscopic ultrasound may be unnecessary in the preoperative evaluation of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm

AbstractObjectivesSeveral imaging modalities are commonly performed during work-up of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), but guidelines do not suggest any one technique. The aim of this study was to evaluate tumour and duct measurements by computed tomography (CT) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and their ability to predict high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and cancer within pancreatic IPMN.MethodsPatients with IPMN who underwent preoperative CT and EUS between 2001 and 2009 were selected. Data were gathered retrospectively from medical records.ResultsThe study group was comprised of 52 patients, 33% (17/52) of whom had HGD or cancer. On fine needle aspirate (FNA), neither carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) >200 nor cytological analysis correlated with malignancy. In multivariate analysis, duct size ≥1.0cm (P= 0.034) was a significant predictor of HGD or cancer, and diameter on CT scan (P= 0.056) approached significance. Lesion diameter of ≥2.5cm on CT scan identified malignancy in 71% (12/17) of patients (P= 0.037). When analysed, all patients with HGD or cancer had a lesion diameter ≥2.5cm and/or a duct diameter ≥1.0cm by CT scan.ConclusionsThe use of radiographic criteria on CT including lesion size ≥2.5cm and/or pancreatic duct diameter ≥1.0cm appears to reliably identify patients with either HGD or invasive cancer. High-resolution CT scanning may obviate the need for EUS and FNA in patients with suspected IPMN