title: Multidetector computed tomography cholangiography with multiplanar reformation for the assessment of patients with biliary obstruction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We sought to evaluate the diagnostic use of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) cholangiography with multiplanar reformation (MPR) for the assessment of patients with biliary obstruction.
  
  
  METHODS
  MDCT cholangiography with the MPR technique was performed in 58 patients who were thought to have biliary obstruction. No cholangiographic contrast agent was administered. MRCP in 24 patients, Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in 46 patients and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) in 24 patients were performed. Eighteen patients underwent biopsy or surgery. The findings on MDCT cholangiography were compared with those of MRCP, ERCP, PTC, biopsy or surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings of MDCT cholangiography were as follows: choledocholithiasis (n = 34, 56.7%), malignant stricture (n = 14, 23.3%), benign stricture (n = 1, 1.7%), and cholelithiasis (n = 11, 18.3%). A small common bile duct (CBD) stone in one patient could not be detected on MDCT cholangiography. One patient with a small stone in distal CBD detected on MDCT cholangiography had no stone on ERCP. Two patients with initial diagnoses of CBD stones by MDCT cholangiography were disclosed to have malignant bile duct stricture by reference examination. The sensitivity and specificity of MDCT cholangiography for the diagnosis of bile duct stones were 96.9% and 96.2%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of MDCT cholangiography for the diagnosis of bile duct stricture were 85.7% and 100%, respectively. The overall accuracy of MDCT cholangiography for the diagnoses of the causes of biliary obstruction was 89.8%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MDCT cholangiography with the MPR technique is a fast and non-invasive technique with relatively high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnoses of the causes of biliary obstruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea. ringer@hanafos.com
authors.forename: Hong Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Il
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jung Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yong Kyun
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Chong Il
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Woo Kyu
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Byung Ik
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung Kwon
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002758:Cholangiography / Q000379:methods*; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods