title: Magnetic resonance imaging of the pediatric pancreaticobiliary system.
abstract: Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is an extremely useful tool for evaluating a wide variety of disorders affecting the pancreaticobiliary system in neonates/infants, children, and adolescents. This imaging technique has numerous distinct advantages over alternative diagnostic modalities, such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, including its noninvasive nature and lack of ionizing radiation. Such advantages make MRCP the preferred first-line method for advanced imaging the pediatric pancreaticobiliary tree, after ultrasonography. This article presents a contemporary review of the use of MRCP in the pediatric population, including techniques, indications, and the imaging appearances of common and uncommon pediatric disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Health System, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Electronic address: nathaneg@med.umich.edu.
authors.forename: Nathan D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Egbert
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Dillman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001649:Bile Duct Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D056888:Patient Positioning / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Bile ducts; Children; Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP); Pancreatic duct; Pancreaticobiliary system