Role of Radiological Imaging in the Diagnosis and Characterization of Pancreatic Cystic Lesions: A Systematic Review

The evidence on the ability of radiological tests to predict a specific diagnosis and also their aptitude in identifying pathological markers indicative of malignancy in cystic lesions of the pancreas remains inconclusive. We conducted a systematic review on MEDLINE for the use of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) in the diagnosis and characterization of these cysts. The accuracy of CT scan for reaching a specific diagnosis was 39% to 61.4%, whereas its accuracy for differentiating benign from malignant lesions was 61.9% to 80%. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a better accuracy in identifying a specific diagnosis of 50% to 86%, whereas its accuracy in differentiating benign from malignant lesions was 55.6% to 87%. The use of magnetic resonance imaging was superior to CT scan in identifying septations, mural nodules, and ductal communication. The sensitivity of PET/CT in diagnosing malignancy was 85.7% to 100% with a reported accuracy of 88% to 95%. The evidence gathered from this review suggests that the adequacy of CT imaging in full characterization of pancreatic cysts is suboptimal, and therefore a low threshold for supplementary imaging is advised. The use of PET/CT should be considered in high-risk patients with equivocal findings.