Diffusion of the pancreas can be detected during its ultrasound. It appears as an uneven distribution of ultrasound pulses through the tissues of the parenchyma and is also called diffusely increased echogenicity.
Diffuse pancreas can be detected by ultrasound examination at any stage of pancreatitis or diabetes mellitus, appointed to clarify the diagnosis or to control the course of treatment. But especially important is the detection of diffusion of the pancreas during preventive examinations and studies that allow using ultrasound to identify the threat of pancreatitis, as well as necrotic changes in the tissues of the parenchyma. At the same time, a person can feel completely healthy and, until a certain time, have no problems with digestion.
As a rule, after performing ultrasound and detecting diffusely increased echogenicity of pancreatic tissues, a corresponding record is made in the medical history, but the patient is not diagnosed definitively. The attending physician, possibly to the great displeasure of the patient, prescribes an additional examination.
There is a natural question: why it is impossible to diagnose any disease on the basis of the revealed diffusion of the pancreas? The answer to it is extremely simple: diffusion of the parenchyma is not a diagnosis. Diffusively increased echogenicity only indicates the heterogeneity of the pancreatic tissues, which can be caused by inflammation in it, as well as the excessive growth of adipose tissue that occurs in diabetes mellitus, the presence of calcifications in its ducts, as well as various tumors, cysts and pseudocysts.
However, the diffusion of the parenchyma is the basis for initiating a more thorough medical examination, conducting laboratory tests and signaling the patient about the need to start a healthy lifestyle.
It should be noted that ultrasound, based on the detection of diffuse tissue heterogeneity, helps not only to detect the onset of the disease, but also to clarify the already existing diagnosis. So, for example, it is possible to detect diffusion of the parenchyma caused by the dilatation of the ducts and to draw a conclusion about its excessive activity, characteristic of chronic pancreatitis. It can also indicate necrotic changes in the parenchyma, and insufficient production of pancreatic juices.
This means that the detection of diffusion of the pancreas is regarded by the doctor as an alarm signal, meaning that the patient's health is in danger, and also helps in controlling the course of treatment.