Pictorial essay: multimodality imaging of metastases from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Surgical resection is the only curative therapy available for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Unfortunately, metastatic disease constitutes an absolute contraindication for surgery. Therefore, the detection of metastatic disease is a critical component of preoperative imaging of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are currently used for the preoperative evaluation of these patients. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography and ultrasonography may also be helpful in the detection of metastatic disease. This pictorial essay reviews the imaging findings of common and uncommon metastases from pancreatic adenocarcinoma.