Table 4 Advantages and disadvantages of the imaging techniques to rule out cancer and diagnose f-AIP

Imaging technique	Advantages	Disadvantages
Transabdominal US	Broad availability Low cost Availability of CEUS, in case of good visibility of the pancreatic mass	Very low accuracy in diagnosing PC and in differential diagnosis PC versus f-AIP Operator-dependent
CT scan	Broad availability Combination of more elements in the study of pancreatic masses	Poor interobserver agreement in the diagnosis of pancreatic masses Low accuracy in some studies Radiation
MRI	High sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of PC in retrospective cohorts Radiation-free Can be used in follow-up	Lack of large and prospective studies on accuracy in distinguishing between PC and f-AIP
FDG-PET	No relevant advantages	Very low accuracy in distinguishing between PC and f-AIP
EUS	Good visibility of pancreatic masses High accuracy in ruling out PC Availability of CEUS and EG Sampling of the mass to rule out cancer	Invasive technique Operator-dependent