Pancreatic ultrasonography was correct 87% of the time in separating patients with a normal pancreas from those with an abnormality. Of those patients felt to have a normal pancreas by ultrasonography, only 81% were ultimately found normal. In this group, errors occurred primarily in patients with chronic pancreatitis. An abnormal pancreatic ultrasonogram is significant and usually indicates disease; ultrasonography correctly identified 94% of those patients ultimately found to have an abnormal pancreas.