“Extensive pancreatic bed calcifications compatible with chronic pancreatitis.”

The example sentence is ambiguous and imprecise. The author means “extensive pancreatic calcifications compatible with chronic pancreatitis.”

The “pancreatic bed” is an informal description of the retroperitoneal space containing the pancreas. (Specifically, the pancreas lies in the anterior pararenal space.)

While it is true that calcifications in the pancreas are also in the “pancreatic bed”,  it is not necessarily true that calcifications in the pancreatic bed are in the pancreas.  There is no reason to hedge; say they are in the pancreas.

Suggested rewrite: “Numerous pancreatic calcifications most likely representing chronic pancreatitis.”

1. The common definition of extensive is “large in size or amount”. Extensive calcifications could mean the calcifications are large; which they are not.  I used numerous since its common definition (existing in large numbers) is an unambiguous description of the finding.

2. In the example “compatible with chronic pancreatitis” isn’t bad, but the finding is also “compatible with” other diseases. I rephrased this to give a statistical concept that chronic pancreatitis is the most likely of all possible causes. Since this is an incidental finding i would not report a differential diagnosis.

http://radiopaedia.org/articles/pancreatic-calcifications-2