[The decision-making value of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in patients suspicious for pancreatobiliary diseases].
OBJECTIVE
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an operator-dependent procedure and has significant procedure-related morbidity and mortality. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a safe noninvasive method for pancreatobiliary imaging. The aims of this study were to evaluate the potential impact of MRCP on performing ERCP and to evaluate the decision-making value of MRCP in patients suspicious for pancreatobiliary diseases.


METHODS
Two hundreds twelve patients (M:F 108:104, mean age 59.3 +/- 13.7) who underwent MRCP due to clinical or sonographic suggesting pancreatobiliary disease were included. We divided patients into four groups according to their presumptive diagnosis: biliary stone (group 1), biliary tumor (group 2), gallstone pancreatitis (group 3) and other biliary diseases (group 4).


RESULTS
Numbers of cases in group 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 145, 43, 17 and 7, respectively. In 144 cases (67.9%), ERCP was unnecessary and 76 cases (35.8%) required neither ERCP nor any other treatment. Thereafter, these cases were thought to be a patient group in whom the workload of performing ERCP could be reduced.


CONCLUSIONS
MRCP can reduce the number and efforts doing ERCP and is helpful in decision-making for the treatment of pancreatobiliary disease. Therefore, MRCP could be the primary diagnostic tool before choosing ERCP.
Chang
Yun Jung
YJ
Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Jae Seon
JS
Kim
Hyoung Seuk
HS
Kim
Myung Gyu
MG
Lee
Ji Yeon
JY
Seo
Yeon Seok
YS
Kim
Cheol Hyun
CH
Kim
Jin Yong
JY
Yeon
Jong Eun
JE
Park
Jong-Jae
JJ
Byun
Kwan Soo
KS
Bak
Young-Tae
YT
Lee
Chang Hong
CH
D000368:Aged; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*