title: Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the pancreas: initial results in healthy volunteers and patients with chronic pancreatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize pancreatic perfusion in volunteers and patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) by dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pancreatic enhancement after bolus injection of Gd-DTPA with a three-dimensional ultrafast partial-Fourier radiofrequency (RF) spoiled gradient-echo (GE) acquisition was examined prospectively. An acquisition volume of the pancreatic parenchyma was obtained every 4.2 seconds during a single breath-hold in 31 volunteers and 19 patients with CP. We calculated the wash-in rate and a newly defined parameter, the "time-to-inflow deceleration" (TID). A statistical analysis of the differences between both groups was performed with the use of Student's t-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences in the TID and wash-in rate were found for the head and body of the pancreas: the TID was 22.4 sec +/- 4.4 sec and 23.5 sec +/- 6.1 sec in the pancreatic head and body of the healthy volunteers, and 29.8 sec +/- 8.6 sec and 29.4 sec +/- 3.8 sec in patients with CP. The wash-in rate was 96 +/- 37 sec(-1) and 101 +/- 27 sec(-1) in controls, and 62 +/- 17 sec(-1) and 75 +/- 27 sec(-1) in CP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CP can be identified by semiquantitative changes on DCE-MRI. Whether DCE-MRI of the pancreas can be used to detect early CP remains to be validated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. kcoenegrachts74@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Coenegrachts
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van Steenbergen
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Keyzer
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanbeckevoort
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bielen
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dockx
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bosmans
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010179:Pancreas / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA