Can cereal-based oral contrast agents-assisted ultrasound become an alternative to non-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiological follow-up for pancreatic cystic lesions?

Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are recommended to be examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), yet MRI still has limitations, such as high costs, the risk of triggering claustrophobia, and relatively low availability compared with ultrasound. Oral contrast agents-assisted ultrasound has been used to examine the gallbladder and stomach, but whether oral contrast agents could improve the accuracy of transabdominal ultrasound (TAUS) for PCLs and could be a potential alternative to non-contrast MRI for PCL follow-up has not been studied. This study aimed to explore the value of cereal-based oral contrast agents in improving the accuracy of PCLs during TAUS.