Pancreatitis aguda por hipercalcemia en el embarazo: caso clínico / Acute pancreatitis due to hypercalcemia during pregnancy: report of one case

Acute pancreatitis during pregnancy is uncommon and usually associated with gallstones. However other etiologies must be considered. We report a 24 years old woman with a 32 weeks pregnancy consulting for abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. She had elevated lipase and amylase levels, a corrected serum calcium of 13.1 mg/dl and a serum phosphate of 1.6 mg/dl. A magnetic resonance colangiopancreatography showed an enlarged pancreas with inflammatory changes and a normal Wirsung duct. A parathyroid nodule was found on cervical ultrasonography. The patient was treated initially with cinacalcet with partial response. A parathyroidectomy was performed at 39 weeks of pregnancy with a good maternal and fetal evolution.

Comparative evaluation of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and perioperative cholangiography in patients with suspect choledocholithiasis / Avaliação comparativa da colangiopancreatografia por ressonância magnética e da colangiografia peroperatória na suspeita de coledocolitíase

ABSTRACT Background: Cholelithiasis is a highly prevalent condition, and choledocholitiasis is a high morbidity complication and requires accurate methods for its diagnosis. Aim: To evaluate the population of patients with suspected choledocholitiasis and check the statistical value of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, ultrasonography, the laboratory and the clinic of these patients comparing them to the results obtained by perioperative cholangiography. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study, which were evaluated 76 patients with cholelithiasis and suspected choledocholithiasis. Results: It was observed that the presence of dilatation of the biliary tract or choledocholithiasis in the ultrasonography was four and eight times increased risk of perioperative cholangiography for positive choledocholithiasis, respectively. For each unit increased in serum alkaline phosphatase was 0.3% increased the risk of perioperative cholangiography for positive choledocholithiasis. In the presence of dilatation of the bile ducts in the ultrasonography was four times greater risk of positive magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography for choledocholithiasis. In the presence of pancreatitis these patients had five times higher risk of positive magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography for choledocholithiasis. On the positive magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography presence to choledocholithiasis was 104 times greater of positive perioperative cholangiography for choledocholithiasis. Conclusions: The magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography is a method with good accuracy for propedeutic follow-up for the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis, consistent with the results obtained from the perioperative cholangiography; however, it is less invasive, with less risk to the patient and promote decreased surgical time when compared with perioperative cholangiography.

RESUMO Racional: A colelitíase é afecção de alta prevalência, sendo a coledocolitíase complicação de elevada morbidade e que necessita de métodos acurados para seu diagnóstico. Objetivo: Avaliar o perfil populacional de pacientes com suspeita de coledocolitíase e verificar o valor estatístico da colangiopancreatografia por ressonância magnética, da ultrassonografia, dos exames laboratoriais e da clínica desses pacientes e compará-los aos resultados obtidos pela colangiografia peroperatória. Métodos: Trata-se de estudo longitudinal, de coorte, retrospectivo, no qual foram avaliados 76 pacientes com diagnóstico de colelitíase e suspeita de coledocolitíase. Resultados: Observou-se que na presença de dilatação das vias biliares ou coledocolitíase na ultrassonografia havia risco quatro e oito vezes maior, respectivamente, de colangiografia peroperatória positiva para coledocolitíase. Para cada unidade de aumento na fosfatase alcalina sérica houve aumento em 0,3% no risco de colangiografia peroperatória positiva para coledocolitíase. Na presença de dilatação das vias biliares na ultrassonografia ou clínica de pancreatite havia risco quatro e cinco vezes maior, respectivamente, de colangiopancreatografia por ressonância magnética positiva para coledocolitíase. Na presença de colangiopancreatografia por ressonância magnética positiva para coledocolitíase o risco foi 104 vezes maior de colangiografia peroperatória positiva para coledocolitíase. Conclusão: A colangiopancreatografia por ressonância magnética para seguimento propedêutico tem boa acurácia para o diagnóstico de coledocolitíase, e concordante com os resultados obtidos na colangiografia peroperatória. O método é menos invasivo, com menores riscos ao paciente e com diminuição do tempo cirúrgico dispendido para realização da colangiografia peroperatória.

Quiste de colédoco gigante / Giant choledochal cyst

La dilatación quística del colédoco es una entidad rara. Tiene mayor incidencia en los países orientales que en los occidentales y predomina en el sexo femenino. Se diagnostica habitualmente en la infancia y se han postulado varias hipótesis para su origen entre las que se destacan las anomalías en la unión biliopancreática. Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 19 años de edad con un quiste de colédoco tipo IV de Todani con varios años de evolución. Finalmente recibió, una derivación como tratamiento definitivo; la evolución fue inmediata y satisfactoria(AU)

Choledochal cysts are rare and has higher incidence rate in the Eastern countries than in the Western nations. It is predominant in females. It is regularly diagnosed in the childhood and several hypotheses have been formulated about their origin, being one of them the biliopancreatic junction anomalies. This is the case of a 19 years-old patient with a Todani´s type IV choledochal cyst with several years of progression. He was finally performed a shunt as definitive treatment and his recovery was immediate and satisfactory(AU)

Colangiopancreatografía magnética: valor diagnóstico para detectar coledocolitiasis en pacientes con pancreatitis aguda leve / Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and its diagnostic value to detect choledocholithiasis in patients suffering mild acute pancreatitis

Introducción: la pancreatitis aguda (PA) es una enfermedad clínica común que puede ser desde leve hasta fatal. En el 40 por ciento de los casos es de origen biliar, y es causada por una obstrucción de la ampolla de Váter por barro biliar o por cálculos. En el diagnóstico de la pancreatitis aguda de origen biliar (PAB) se emplean métodos invasivos como la colangiopancreatografía endoscópica retrógrada (CPRE), la cual se asocia a morbilidad y mortalidad, y métodos no invasivos como la colangiopancreatografía magnética (CRM), que emerge como modalidad diagnóstica en los centros de tercer y cuarto nivel de complejidad. Métodos: se evaluaron las características diagnósticas de la CRM a través de los registros históricos de pacientes que ingresaron a un hospital universitario de nivel IV a los que se les realizó CRM y CPRE. Esta última fue considerada el método de referencia para la evaluación. Resultados: Para la CRM se determinó una sensibilidad del 97 por ciento y una especificidad del 44 por ciento para la detección de coledocolitiasis, con un valor predictivo positivo de 0,35 y un valor predictivo negativo de 0,99. Algunos de estos resultados son inferiores a los documentados en la bibliografía mundial. Conclusiones: la CRM permite obtener imágenes precisas de la vía biliar, en un ambiente seguro y sin riesgos para el paciente. Esta técnica tiene una capacidad de detección de coledocolitiasis que oscila entre el 78 y el 97 por ciento, resultado que concuerda con lo descrito en otros estudios(AU)

Introduction: acute pancreatitis is a common clinical disease that may be either mild or lethal. Forty percent of cases is of biliary origin and caused by Vater bleb obstruction by biliary mud or by gallstones. The diagnosis of acute biliary pancreatitis uses invasive methods such as retrograde endoscopic cholangiopancreatography which is associated to higher morbidity and mortality or non-invasive ones like magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography that emerges as a diagnostic modality in the third and the fourth level centers. Methods: the diagnostic characteristics of the magnetic cholangiopancreatography were evaluated by using the historical registers of patients who were admitted to a 4th level university hospital and underwent magnetic cholangiopancreatography and retrograde endoscopic cholangiopancreatography, being the last one considered the method of reference for the evaluation. Results: magnetic cholangiopancreatography showed 97 percent sensitivity and 44 percent specificity for the detection of choledocholithiasis, positive predictive value of 0.35 and negative predictive value of 0.99. Some of these results were lower than those documented in the international literature. Conclusions: magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography allows capturing precise images of the biliary duct in a safe environment with no risks for the patient. This technique has a detection capacity ranging 78 to 97 percent for choledocholithiasis. This result agrees with that of other studies(AU)

Differentiating between Adenomyomatosis and Gallbladder Cancer: Revisiting a Comparative Study of High-Resolution Ultrasound, Multidetector CT, and MR Imaging

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic performance of high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) with contrast-enhanced CT and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) to differentiate between adenomyomatosis (ADM) and gallbladder cancer (GBCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients with surgically proven ADM (n = 13) or GBCA at stage T2 or lower (n = 27) who previously underwent preoperative HRUS, contrast-enhanced CT, and contrast-enhanced MRI with MRCP were retrospectively included in this study. According to the well-known diagnostic criteria, two reviewers independently analyzed the images from each modality separately with a five-point confidence scale. The interobserver agreement was calculated using weighted kappa statistics. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed and the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated for each modality when scores of 1 or 2 indicated ADM. RESULTS: The interobserver agreement between the two reviewers was good to excellent. The mean Az values for HRUS, multidetector CT (MDCT), and MRI were 0.959, 0.898, and 0.935, respectively, without any statistically significant differences between any of the modalities (p > 0.05). The mean sensitivity of MRI with MRCP (80.8%) was significantly higher than that of MDCT (50.0%) (p = 0.0215). However, the mean sensitivity of MRI with MRCP (80.8%) was not significantly different from that of HRUS (73.1%) (p > 0.05). The mean specificities and accuracies among the three modalities were not significantly different (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: High-resolution ultrasound and MRI with MRCP have comparable sensitivity and accuracy and MDCT has the lowest sensitivity and accuracy for the differentiation of ADM and GBCA.

Congenital Variants and Anomalies of the Pancreas and Pancreatic Duct: Imaging by Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreaticography and Multidetector Computed Tomography

Though congenital anomalies of the pancreas and pancreatic duct are relatively uncommon and they are often discovered as an incidental finding in asymptomatic patients, some of these anomalies may lead to various clinical symptoms such as recurrent abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Recognition of these anomalies is important because these anomalies may be a surgically correctable cause of recurrent pancreatitis or the cause of gastric outlet obstruction. An awareness of these anomalies may help in surgical planning and prevent inadvertent ductal injury. The purpose of this article is to review normal pancreatic embryology, the appearance of ductal anatomic variants and developmental anomalies of the pancreas, with emphasis on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography and multidetector computed tomography.

The T2-Shortening Effect of Gadolinium and the Optimal Conditions for Maximizing the CNR for Evaluating the Biliary System: a Phantom Study

OBJECTIVE: Clear depiction of the common bile duct is important when evaluating neonatal cholestasis in order to differentiate biliary atresia from other diseases. During MR cholangiopancreatography, the T2-shortening effect of gadolinium can increase the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the bile duct and enhance its depiction. The purpose of this study was to confirm, by performing a phantom study, the T2-shortening effect of gadolinium, to evaluate the effect of different gadolinium chelates with different gadolinium concentrations and different magnetic field strengths for investigating the optimal combination of these conditions, and for identifying the maximum CNR for the evaluation of the biliary system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR imaging using a T2-weighted single-shot fast spin echo sequence and T2 relaxometry was performed with a sponge phantom in a syringe tube. Two kinds of contrast agents (Gd-DTPA and Gd-EOB-DTPA) with different gadolinium concentrations were evaluated with 1.5T and 3T scanners. The signal intensities, the CNRs and the T2 relaxation time were analyzed. RESULTS: The signal intensities significantly decreased as the gadolinium concentrations increased (p < 0.001) with both contrast agents. These signal intensities were higher on a 3T (p < 0.001) scanner. The CNRs were higher on a 1.5T (p < 0.001) scanner and they showed no significant change with different gadolinium concentrations. The T2 relaxation time also showed a negative correlation with the gadolinium concentrations (p < 0.001) and the CNRs showed decrease more with Gd-EOB-DTPA (versus Gd-DTPA; p < 0.001) on a 3T scanner (versus 1.5T; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A T2-shortening effect of gadolinium exhibits a negative correlation with the gadolinium concentration for both the signal intensities and the T2 relaxation time. A higher CNR can be obtained with Gd-DTPA on a 1.5T MRI scanner.

Imaging Findings in a Case of Mixed Acinar-Endocrine Carcinoma of the Pancreas

Mixed acinar-endocrine carcinoma (MAEC) of the pancreas is extremely uncommon. We report here a rare case of MAEC of the pancreas presenting as watery diarrhea. This is the first report in the English-language literature that describes the imaging findings of MAEC of the pancreas, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and MR cholangiopancreatography features.

Magnetic resonance cholangio pancreatography in pancreaticobiliary surgical problems

Until recently, the non-invasive evaluation of patients suspected of having biliary tract lesions was limited to ultrasonognaphy [US] and computed tomography [CT], and inspite of their sensitivity in the detection of obstruction, we were in-need for direct cholangiography; especially endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography [ERCP]; as standard of reference for visualizing the biliary tracts and pancreatic ducts for defining the cause and level of lesion. This study is constructed to evaluate Magnetic Resonance Cholangio-Pancreatography [MRCP] abilities in diagnosis of biliary tracts and pancreatic ducts lesions in comparison to the standard ERCP and surgery results. This study was held in MRJ Unit of Radiology Department, Tanta University; and Surgical Gastroenteniology Department of Al-Azhen University and Liven Research Center; during the period from January 2003 to June 2009. It included 37 patients; 29 [78.4%] male and 8 [21.6%] female; their age ranged from 23 to 78 years with median 48 +/- 3.1 years. U/S and MRCP examinations were performed for all patients in the study; while ERCP was done after two days in 32 patients. Surgery was done for 27 patients. MRCP was performed for all 37 patients in our study who were complaining of obstructive jaundice from different pathological causes with success nate [35 from 37] i.e. 94.6% ; ERCP was performed 48 hours after MRCP; in 32 patients only of our study cases; with success rate [29 from 32] i.e. 90.6% . Neoplastic cases were the majority in our study: Thirteen cases carcinoma of head of pancrease, five cases cholangiocarcinoma two cases of gall bladder adenocarcinoma and one case of ampullary carcinoma We have one case of ductal papjllomatosis, seven cases of common bile duct [CBD] stones; five of them secondary to gall bladder stones, the other two cases followed cholecystectomy; five cases of postoperative iatrogenic common hepatic duct [CHD] ligation; two of them after open surgery and three after laparoscopic cholecystectomy; and lastly we had three cases of post-traumatic bile duct injuries. MRCP is an accurate means of diagnostic imaging of the biliary and pancreatic ducts safely and non-invasively, however it lacks therapeutic potential of ERCP which must be tooled as a necessary intenventional procedure after MRCP despite its drawbacks and high cost-effectiveness

Value of Manganese-Enhanced T1- and T2-Weighted MR Cholangiography for Differentiating Cystic Parenchymal Lesions from Cystic Abnormalities which Communicate with Bile Ducts

We present a case report to show how manganese-enhanced T1- and T2-weighted MR cholangiography could differentiate cystic parenchymal lesions from cystic abnormalities which communicate with the bile ducts.

Artefatos e armadilhas na CPRM: ensaio iconográfico / Artifacts and pitfalls in MRCP: an iconographic essay

0 uso da colangiopancreatografia por ressonância magnética (CPRM) tem aumentado nos últimos anos, assim como as dificuldades diagnósticas relacionadas à sua utilização. 0 nosso objetivo foi ilustrar, de maneira sistematizada, as várias armadilhas e artefatos encontrados em exames de CPRM e que podem levar a erros diagnósticos. Classificamos os principais artefatos em quatro categorias: a) técnicos; b) fatores extraductais; c) fatores intraductais; d) variantes anatômicas, para simplificar o seu entendimento e apontar soluções para reduzir os artefatos e melhorar a eficácia do método. Implementar uma técnica de exame adequada e reconhecer os principais artefatos de imagem contribui para reduzir os erros diagnósticos na CPRM.