February 2014 Vol. 2 No. 2

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Full Length Research Paper

The diagnostic value of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography performed with 0.2 tesla low-field open scanner

Ercument Dogen¹, Bozkurt Gulek*², Omer Kaya³, Gokhan Soker³, Mehmet Sirik⁴, Kaan Esen⁵ and Ayse Bolat Ucbilek³

¹Mersin State Hospital Department of Radiology, Mersin, Turkey
²Namik Kemal University Department of Radiology, Tekirdag, Turkey
³Numune Teaching and Research Hospital Department of Radiology, Adana, Turkey
⁴Adiyaman University Department of Radiology, Adiyaman, Turkey
⁵Mersin University Department of Radiology, Mersin, Turkey

*Corresponding Author's E-mail: bozkurtgulek@yahoo.com; Tel: +90-533-435-4686

Accepted March 03, 2013
 

Abstract

Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a method which is reliably used in the imaging of the pancreatobiliary system. The method utilizes heavily T2-weighted sequences. Thanks to the great advantages of this particular method, the anatomy of the intra and extrahepatic biliary systems can be investigated properly, reliably, and noninvasively, without any administration of contrast media. MRCP is mainly performed with high-field scanners, with field strenghts of 1.5 Tesla or greater. In our study, we used a 0.2 Tesla low-field open scanner instead, and we tested the diagnostic efficacy of this magnet, by comparing our results with those obtained by endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP). We administered the three-dimensional fast spin echo (3D FSE) sequence during MRCP imaging. 36 patients who had applied to the Gastroenterology Department of the Numune Teaching and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey, underwent MRCP examinations in the Radiology Department of the same hospital. The patients were then examined by ERCP, within the next 48 hours. Bile stones were detected in 17, benign strictures were detected in 4, and malignant strictures were detected in another 4, of the 36 patients, with MRCP. These results were compared with those obtained from ERCP, and the overall sensitivity and specificity of MRCP were found to be 96 % and 90.9 %, respectively. These results showed satisfying harmony with those obtained with high-field MR scanners. We came to the conclusion that using low-field open MR scanners in the process of MRCP is a reliable, practical, and easy way in the diagnostic workup of patients with suspected biliary tract pathologies.

Keywords: Low-Field MR, Open MR, MRCP, Magnetic resonance, Imaging, Tesla