Replacement of diagnostic ERCP
Previously, ERCP, an endoscopic procedure with contrast injection that carries a risk of pancreatitis, was performed to evaluate the bile ducts. MR cholangiography provides a comparable, informative picture non-invasively and without contrast: it reveals stones in the common bile duct, strictures and dilations of the ducts, developmental anomalies, signs of sclerosing cholangitis and tumors of the hepatic porta region. Today, ERCP is used primarily as a therapeutic procedure when the diagnosis has already been established.
Possibilities of MRI of internal organs
MRI has the best soft tissue contrast among all methods. This makes it possible to differentiate structures that look the same on ultrasound and CT: for example, to distinguish a liver hemangioma from a metastasis, a cyst from a solid formation, a benign uterine tumor from a malignant one.
A separate advantage is the absence of radiation exposure, which is important for repeated studies over time and in young patients.
Main indications
- clarification of the nature of formations of the liver, pancreas, kidneys and adrenal glands
- diagnosis of bile duct diseases without intervention
- assessment of the prevalence of the tumor process and staging
- pathology of the uterus, ovaries and prostate gland
- inflammatory bowel diseases
- control after surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy
The role of contrast
Intravenous contrast makes it possible to assess the nature of the blood supply to the formation by accumulation phases - this is what most often provides an answer about its nature. Therefore, during oncological searches and clarifying diagnostics, the study is almost always performed with contrast.