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This study evaluates the usefulness of endoscopic ultrasonography in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. 52 patients with chronic pancreatitis, which included 15 cases of mild pancreatitis, 19 cases of moderate pancreatitis and 18 cases of advanced pancreatitis, were diagnosed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and further investigated by endoscopic ultrasonography. The 4 main findings of 1) dilatation of the main pancreatic duct, 2) irregularity of the main pancreatic duct, 3) inhomogeneity of the pancreatic parenchyma and, 4) irregular configuration of the pancreas were reviewed. In all of the 18 cases of advanced pancreatitis, irregularity of the main pancreatic duct, inhomogeneity of the pancreatic parenchyma and irregular configuration of the pancreas were seen. 89% of these patients had dilatation of the main pancreatic duct. In the patients with moderate pancreatitis, on the other hand, all 4 findings occurred with a frequency of between 58% to 95%. In the patients with mild pancreatitis, irregularity of the main pancreatic duct, inhomogeneity of the pancreatic parenchyma and irregular configuration of the pancreas occurred at a rate of 40% to 93%, and dilatation of the main pancreatic duct occurred rarely in only 13% of the patients. We were able to detect abnormalties in the pancreatic parenchyma by endoscopic ultrasonography even in the early stages of chronic pancreatitis, and this suggests that this technique may be useful in the diagnosis of mild pancreatitis, which usually causes quite minor abnormal changes in the main pancreatic duct.