Radiology of the Pancreas

Our knowledge and understanding of pancreatic diseases has advanced tremendously in the past decade. Clinical and laboratory diagnosis has become increasingly sophisticated, the array of new radiologic and endoscopic mo dalities is vast, and the effectiveness of medical and surgical management of pancreatic diseases has greatly improved. The impetus for these advances has arisen in part from an increasing awareness of the prevalence of acute and chronic pancreatitis, and perhaps more importantly from the steadily increasing incidence of pancreatic carcinoma. Radiology has emerged from this spectrum as a keystone of diagnostic evaluation. Interventional radiology, an important nonsurgical alternative for patient management, has become almost a field unto itself. The wide variety of available diagnostic and interventional radiologic techniques has made the radiologist an important member of the phYSician team managing patients with pancreatic disease. Consequently, the radiologist must be familiar not only with his own specialty, but also with those of his medical and surgical colleagues. For this reason, and because there is a need for a current text presenting the state-of-the-art of pancreatic radiology, this book was conceived. Radiology of the Pancreas is more than just a monograph of imaging techniques. Its goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of each facet of pancreatic disease for radiologists, clinicians, and surgeons so that they may interact in appropriate and meaningful ways in the evaluation of their patients.