What does it mean if a "shadow" shows up on the pancreas during an ultrasound exam?

Ethel

An abdominal ultrasound examination may be ordered for a number of reasons. Most commonly it is done to evaluate the liver, gallbladder and/or pancreas. Conditions that can be diagnosed via ultrasound include gallstones, liver cysts, liver cirrhosis, masses in the liver or pancreas and clots in major blood vessels in the abdomen. Abnormal findings on ultrasound may lead to further imaging tests such as CT or MRI scanning, or to more invasive tests (such as endoscopy or laparoscopy) to confirm the diagnosis.

Of all the organs that can be seen via ultrasound, the pancreas is the hardest to visualize. This is because in many cases, the pancreas is obscured by air-filled intestinal loops lying across it, and ultrasound is unable to penetrate through air-filled organs. If the pancreas is not obscured by intestinal loops, masses and cysts can be detected during an ultrasound exam. Scarring due to inflammation (pancreatitis) can also sometimes be seen.

So, there are two possibilities for the "shadow" you describe. The doctor's words may refer to a poorly visualized pancreas obscured by gas, or they may refer to an abnormality such as a mass. In either case, a more definitive examination of the pancreas, perhaps via CT scan, is probably in order.