title: Preoperative imaging of biliary tract cancers.
abstract: Many imaging techniques are available for the evaluation of patients with malignant obstructive jaundice. Ultrasonography, in experienced hands, is valuable for evaluating the local extent of the disease, but its usefulness for staging distant metastases is limited. When used properly, CT and MR imaging can provide valuable information about the extent of local tumor involvement and distant metastases. These noninvasive techniques provide images of the bile ducts and vascular images that are comparable in quality to those obtained with more invasive procedures, such as PTC, ERCP, and angiography, and do not have the risk for complications of these invasive techniques.
authors.affiliation: Division of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030, USA. jszklaru@di.mdacc.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Janio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szklaruk
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tamm
authors.forename: Chusilp
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Charnsangavej
mesh_terms: D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D019160:Endosonography; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed