Abdominal lymphoma: differentiation from pancreatic carcinoma with Doppler US

Background: Marked lymphadenopathy around the pancreas due to lymphoma (abdominal lymphoma) occasionally can mimic a total pancreatic carcinoma on ultrasonography (US). We investigated whether US and color Doppler US allowed differentiation between those pathologies. Methods: We analyzed the US and color Doppler results of 12 cases of abdominal peripancreatic lymphoma and 21 cases of total pancreatic carcinoma. Results: With regard to shape, echogenicity of the lesion, and mode of vascular involvement, there was no difference between groups. With regard to maximal velocities and resistive indices of the involved vessels, there was no difference between groups. However, the presence of turbulent flows in the involved vessels was seen exclusively in the pancreatic carcinoma group. Conclusion: The presence or absence of turbulent flow in the involved vessels is a very important finding for differentiating abdominal lymphomas from total pancreatic carcinomas.