title: Detectability and appearance of bile duct calculus on MR imaging of the abdomen using axial T1- and T2-weighted sequences.
abstract: This is a retrospective study with the objective of assessing the appearance and detectability of bile duct calculi on axial abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Axial spin-echo (SE) T1-weighted and Turbo-spin-echo (TSE) T2-weighted images of the upper abdomen of 23 patients suffering from acute cholangitis with known bile duct calculi were retrospectively analysed. Bile duct calculi could be visualized on a T1-weighted SE sequence in 10 (47%) patients. T2-weighted TSE images identified bile duct calculi in 20 (87%) patients. On the T1-weighted sequence, eight out of 10 (80%) visualized common duct stones were slightly hyperintense compared to bile. On T2-weighted sequence, 27 out of 34 (79%) detectable common duct stones were uniformly hypointense compared to bile, but seven stones (21%) had mixed signal intensity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Organ Imaging, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Metreweli
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001649:Bile Duct Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D042882:Gallstones / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies