Asymptomatic arteriovenous malformation of the pancreas. Demonstration by Doppler ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging.

We reported a case of asymptomatic pancreatic AVM, incidentally found on routine ultrasonography and diagnosed noninvasively by means of Doppler ultrasonography and MRI. The diagnosis was confirmed by angiography. This is the first report to demonstrate the characteristics of pancreatic AVM by these two imaging techniques. They proved to be useful in identifying the vascular nature of AVM without the use of a contrast material, which is a definite advantage over DSA and CT. The quality of the image obtained was equivalent or superior to that obtained by DSA and contrast-enhanced CT. Doppler ultrasonography and MRI may serve as the primary imaging techniques of choice in suspected cases of AVM.