Echogenicity is an important indicator in the study of the internal organs of the human body. With its help, you can evaluate the density of the studied object. If the body increases or decreases echogenicity, this is an occasion to consult specialists. For example, increased echogenicity of the pancreas - what it means, what actions should be taken if it is detected.
The gall bladder, endocrine glands, bladder, various kinds of cysts, etc. are fluid structures. They are homogeneous, and therefore ultrasound waves freely pass through them, without reflecting them. That is, such fluid structures are echo-negative, even if the power of ultrasound is enhanced. On the contrary, dense structures (bones, calculi, etc.) are echopositive, since they do not pass ultrasound through themselves, completely reflecting it. During the study, the liver parenchyma is taken as a sample of echogenicity. It is with its indicators that the echogenicity of such organs as the kidneys, pancreas is compared . Among other organs capable of ultrasound reflect signals, the thyroid gland, adrenal gland, etc.
If in a medical document during the study you were written “increased echogenicity of the pancreas”, the doctor may suspect an inflammatory process or the appearance of edema. Among the diseases of this organ that change echogenicity, there is also increased gas formation, calcification of the gland, tumors of various origins and etiologies. A pancreatic tumor may appear due to changes in the cells of the endocrine, exocrine departments. 95% of malignant neoplasms account for the last group of these cells, while their endocrine cells are much less common.
The echogenicity of the pancreas in the normal state will be uniform. But with pancreatitis (acute, chronic), with hypertension, portal echogenicity of the gland parenchyma increases. If the size of this organ is not increased, and the echogenicity of the pancreas is increased, this may indicate lipomatosis, when part of its tissues is replaced by fat. Sometimes this disease occurs in elderly patients with diabetes.
With a decrease in the size of the gland, such diffuse changes can indicate fibrosis, that is, the replacement of the gland tissues with fibrous (connective) tissue. Most often this happens when a person has suffered inflammation in the pancreas or his metabolism is impaired.
The increased echogenicity of the pancreas, coupled with other results of studies and examinations of the patient, enable the doctor to make an accurate diagnosis. On the basis of only one ultrasound, which gave a diagnosis of “echogenicity of the pancreas is increased”, treatment is not prescribed, because this symptom may indicate a number of diseases of this organ.
When the pancreas is healthy, it produces more than a liter of pancreatic juice per day, which helps in the digestion of food. If an increased echogenicity of the pancreas or other changes in the activity of the organ is detected, digestion is impaired, which leads to serious health problems. After all, the digestive juice produced by the pancreas, in addition to the digestion of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, also produces insulin, which helps tissues in the full absorption of glucose. No wonder the pancreas is also called the secretion organ (external and internal). Therefore, it is so important to start treatment on time if the doctor told you after the examination that the echogenicity of the pancreas has increased.
Any changes in the pancreas detected during an ultrasound scan should be confirmed by other diagnostic examinations. Only after this, complex therapy is prescribed.