Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography: potential usefulness of dehydrocholic acid (DHCA) administration in the evaluation of biliary disease.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate whether exogenous dehydrocholic acid (DHCA) was useful to enhance the delineation of the biliary tree.


METHODS
Our study population comprised 14 patients. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was acquired before and after the administration of DHCA. Two different MRCP snap shot techniques were applied: thick-slab two-dimensional (2D) (coronal) single shot turbo spin echo T2-weighted sequences and multisection thin-slab, 2D (coronal) single shot turbo spin echo T2-weighted sequences with three-dimensional (3D) maximum intensity projection (MIP) post processing. Volume rendering was prepared based on the source images, and the pixel size was visually adjusted to the biliary area of MRCP to measure the biliary tree volume.


RESULTS
DHCA increased the bile duct volume in 13 of the 14 patients. It provided a better visualization of the biliary tree in 11 patients. The three patients without improvement in visualization included 1 patient with liver cirrhosis secondary to portoenterostomy for congenital biliary dilatation and 2 patients with cholecystectomy who had the bile ducts filled with bile by the time of the administration.


CONCLUSIONS
It was suggested that administration of DHCA could enhance the delineation of the biliary tree on MRCP images.
Sakai
Yuji
Y
Department of Medicine and Clinical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Japan.
Tsuyuguchi
Toshio
T
Yukisawa
Seigo
S
Tsuchiya
Shin
S
Sugiyama
Harutoshi
H
Miyakawa
Kaoru
K
Fukuda
Yoshihiro
Y
Ebara
Masaaki
M
Nonaka
Hiroi
H
Ikehira
Hiroo
H
Obata
Takayuki
T
Yokosuka
Osamu
O
Miyazaki
Masaru
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001649:Bile Duct Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance; D003685:Dehydrocholic Acid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics; D003685:Dehydrocholic Acid