Hepatobiliary/GI

Imaging of the liver, biliary system, and pancreas is well-suited to MRI because of its superior tissue contrast compared to other imaging modalities. For imaging of the liver, MR can be used to diagnose intrinsic liver diseases such as fatty infiltration and also has excellent applications in the detection and characterization of liver masses, particularly with use of isotropic 3D imaging techniques for contrast enhanced studies (VIBE). The fluid content of biliary and pancreatic duct juices are easily seen because of their high signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging. Hence, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is now a widely performed clinical test for the assessment of choledocholithiasis, cholangitis, and other biliary pathologies. Additionally, with the advent of secretin-stimulated MRCP, functional reserve of the pancreas can be tested with MRI. GI imaging represents a new horizon in MR imaging. The ability to differentiate fecal material from enhancing bowel pathology may prove to be one of the major advantage of MR imaging over other modalities.