title: MR cholangiopancreatography of the pancreas and biliary system: a review of the current applications.
abstract: MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is still a rapidly evolving technique, but it has been already accepted as clinically useful and is widely used to evaluate biliary or pancreatic diseases. The advantages of this technique are that it does not use contrast media or ionizing radiation, it is noninvasive and complication free, and the examination is relatively short. MRCP has high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing biliary dilatation and for determining the site and cause of stenosis. With further improvements of hardware and technique, MRCP is expected to replace diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography to examine the biliary and pancreatic ducts in the near future. The other applications include evaluation of primary sclerosing cholangitis, stenosis after liver transplantation, and bilioenteric anastomoses. This article reviews the current applications of MRCP in the evaluation of the pancreas and the biliary system.
authors.affiliation: Al-Ghad Colleges for Applied Medical Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: ashradio@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sandy Hassan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hossary
authors.forename: Ashraf Anas
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Zytoon
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eid
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hamed
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharaan
authors.forename: Ahmed Abd El-Maguid
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ebrahim
mesh_terms: D001649:Bile Duct Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000473:pathology*; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts / Q000473:pathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media