title: Diagnostic value of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography for clinically suspicious spontaneous passage of bile duct stones.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the usefulness of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and the need for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in patients with clinically suspicious spontaneous passage of bile duct stones.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 113 patients suspected of having common duct bile stones. Of them, 50 patients were clinically suspected of spontaneous passage of bile duct stones based on the presence of gallbladder stones on ultrasound examination or a history of common bile duct stones after cholecystectomy, clinical symptoms including abdominal pain and fever associated with inflammatory reaction and marked rise of hepatobiliary enzymes which resolved or normalized after conservative treatment without evidence of stones in the common bile duct on MRCP. These 50 patients were prospectively followed up for a median of 10.2 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients except for one had had no symptoms related to cholangitis. Only one patient received ERCP due to recurrence of symptoms after 6 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When clinical symptoms improve, hematological parameters normalize, and MRCP indicates that there are no stones in the common bile duct, it can be considered that the stones have passed naturally.
authors: Departments of Medicine and Clinical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Yuji
authors: Y
authors: Sakai
authors: Toshio
authors: T
authors: Tsuyuguchi
authors: Seigo
authors: S
authors: Yukisawa
authors: Shin
authors: S
authors: Tsuchiya
authors: Harutoshi
authors: H
authors: Sugiyama
authors: Kaoru
authors: K
authors: Miyakawa
authors: Tadashi
authors: T
authors: Ohara
authors: Masaaki
authors: M
authors: Ebara
authors: Masaru
authors: M
authors: Miyazaki
authors: Osamu
authors: O
authors: Yokosuka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance; D005260:Female; D042882:Gallstones / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies