How does the pancreas compare with the liver in echogenicity on ultrasound?

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The main idea is the relative brightness of the pancreas on ultrasound compared with the liver. In a normal adult, the pancreas typically looks about the same brightness as the liver or just a bit brighter because of its tissue composition and surrounding fat. So the pancreas is usually isoechoic to slightly more echogenic than the liver. If it were clearly hypo- or markedly hyper-echogenic, that would suggest a contrast from normal, such as edema or inflammation for hypoechoic, or fatty infiltration for markedly increased echogenicity. Anechoic would indicate fluid-filled structures, not normal pancreatic tissue.