Contrast-enhanced ultrasound may aid in assessing IgG4-AIP progression

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), particularly through analyzing time-intensity curves, shows promise as a noninvasive tool to evaluate treatment response and monitor disease activity in patients with IgG4-related autoimmune pancreatitis (IgG4-AIP), according to a study.

This prospective study included 73 patients with active IgG4-AIP and compared CEUS parameters before and after treatment.

Patients underwent baseline and follow-up CEUS imaging, where a region of interest was analyzed in various pancreatic regions. Results found a marked decrease in pancreatic lesion size post-treatment, with the maximum diameter dropping from 4.3 cm to 1.7 cm on average. In addition, there was a significant rise in peak intensity across the pancreas, most notably in the head, body, and tail regions, alongside an increase in the area under the curve in the tail area.

The researchers concluded that CEUS, through time-intensity curve metrics, could be a valuable noninvasive method to assess treatment response and disease progression in IgG4-AIP.

Reference
Lu M, Wang H, Wang Y, et al. Assessing IgG4-related autoimmune pancreatitis with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography based on time-intensity curve: a single-centre prospective study. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2024;doi: 10.55563/clinexprheumatol/evg4tn. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39436717.