Effect of steroid ingestion on pancreatic echogenicity.

Pancreatic and liver ultrasound examinations of twenty-five patients without evidence of liver or pancreatic disease and who had been on Prednisone (greater than 7.5 mg per day for longer than six months) were compared with corresponding age- and sex-matched normal controls. Statistical analysis enabled effects of known variables that determine pancreatic echogenicity to be taken into account and showed that steroid ingestion had a statistically significant effect on pancreatic echogenicity, a previous unreported observation.