Magnetic resonance cholangiography: comparison of two- and three-dimensional sequences for assessment of malignant biliary obstruction

Comparing compressed sensing breath-hold 3D MR cholangiopancreatography with two parallel imaging MRCP strategies in main pancreatic duct and common bile duct

PURPOSE

To evaluate the image quality and image consistency between 3D Breath-hold (BH)-MRCP with parallel imaging (3D-BH-PI-MRCP) and 3D-BH compressed sensing (CS)-MRCP (3D-BH-CS-MRCP) in patients with suspected pancreaticobiliary diseases, compared with 3D navigator-triggered (NT)-MRCP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The A total number of 109 patients who underwent 3D-NT-MRCP, 3D-BH-PI-MRCP and 3D-BH-CS-MRCP were prospectively enrolled in this study. The Friedman test was performed to compare quantitative values, image acquisition time, the presence of artifacts, overall image quality, and duct visualization among the three protocols. Additionally, we compared 3D-BH-PI-MRCP and 3D-BH-CS-MRCP with 3D-NT-MRCP in morphological consistency of main pancreatic duct and common bile duct (CBD) based on overall image quality score of = 4.

RESULTS

Three MRCP methods were successfully performed in all the patients. The contrast ratio, SNR and CNR of the CBD were significantly higher for 3D-BH-CS-MRCP than those for 3D-NT-MRCP and 3D-BH-PI-MRCP images. Overall image quality did differ significantly across the three sequences. Visualization of the CBD, RHD, LHD, anterior branch, posterior branch and cystic duct was similar with the 3D-BH-CS-MRCP and 3D-BH-PI-MRCP sequences. In contrast, segment 2 or 3 branch and main pancreatic duct visualization were significantly better with 3D-BH-PI-MRCP than with 3D-BH-CS-MRCP and 3D-NT-MRCP (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Both the two breath-hold approaches were considering the time-saving advantages without deterioration of image quality. Compared with 3D-BH-CS-MRCP, 3D-BH-PI-MRCP yielded significantly better visualization of the segment 2 and 3 branch of the intrahepatic duct and performed better consistency in main pancreatic duct and common bile duct morphology.

Radiologic Evaluation and Structured Reporting Form for Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer: 2019 Consensus Recommendations from the Korean Society of Abdominal Radiology

Radiologic imaging is important for evaluating extrahepatic bile duct (EHD) cancers; it is used for staging tumors and evaluating the suitability of surgical resection, as surgery may be contraindicated in some cases regardless of tumor stage. However, the published general recommendations for EHD cancer and recommendations guided by the perspectives of radiologists are limited. The Korean Society of Abdominal Radiology (KSAR) study group for EHD cancer developed key questions and corresponding recommendations for the radiologic evaluation of EHD cancer and organized them into 4 sections: nomenclature and definition, imaging technique, cancer evaluation, and tumor response. A structured reporting form was also developed to allow the progressive accumulation of standardized data, which will facilitate multicenter studies and contribute more evidence for the development of recommendations.

Benefits of 18F-FDG PET/CT for the preoperative characterisation or staging of disease in the ampullary and duodenal papillary

OBJECTIVES

Diagnosing ampullary and duodenal papillary carcinomas (ADPCs) is challenging. In the present study, we investigated the application value of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) in the preoperative evaluation of these tumours.

METHODS

¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT images of 58 patients with ADPC and 28 patients with benign disease were retrospectively analysed. Preoperative ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT was compared to contrast-enhanced (CE) CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in terms of diagnostic efficacy, certainty, staging and impact on treatment decisions.

RESULTS

¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT showed a high sensitivity (93.1%) and a medium specificity (78.6%) for diagnosing ADPC. Compared to CE CT/MRI, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT had a higher diagnostic specificity (78.6 vs. 35.7%, p = 0.001) but a similar sensitivity (93.1 vs. 89.6%, p = 0.508). ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT provided a much higher diagnostic certainty than CE CT/MRI (definite reports, 88.4 vs. 50.0%, χ² = 29.698, p < 0.001), especially for small tumours ≤ 1.5 cm, and found distant metastases in five patients. The ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT findings affected the treatment plans of 11 patients and improved the confidence in the diagnoses of 28 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrated that ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT can supplement CE CT/MRI to provide a more accurate diagnosis for ADPC, and thus, plays an important role in the decision-making process before complicated pancreaticoduodenectomy procedures.

KEY POINTS

• It is a challenge for CT and MRI to diagnose ampullary carcinoma, especially at their early stage. • Our study demonstrated that the benefit of PET/CT was improving the diagnostic confidence for ampullary and duodenal papillary carcinomas. • ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT can change the treatment decision for ampullary and duodenal papillary carcinomas.

Rapid 3D navigator-triggered MR cholangiopancreatography with SPACE sequence at 3T: only one-third acquisition time of conventional 3D SPACE navigator-triggered MRCP

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to compare the proposed rapid NT-MRCP protocol and the conventional NT-MRCP protocol with respect to image quality as well as the acquisition time.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between January 2019 and May 2019, a total number of 67 consecutive patients with suspected pancreaticobiliary diseases were included in this prospective study and underwent 3D rapid MRCP and 3D conventional MRCP sequences. Both acquisition protocols were set from the same navigator-triggered 3D SPACE sequence. The acquisition time was recorded. Two blinded radiologists performed qualitative analyses with respect to overall image quality, motion artifacts, and CBD visibility using a four-point scale. Quantitative evaluation included the contrast, signal-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-noise ratio (CNR) between the common bile duct (CBD) and periductal tissues. A paired t test was used to assess differences in the qualitative and quantitative evaluations between the two acquisition methods.

RESULTS

All MRCP studies were completed successfully. The mean acquisition time of rapid NT-MRCP (96.64 ± 30.55 s) was significantly lower than that of the conventional NT-MRCP (271.42 ± 61.63 s; p < 0.001).The contrast ratio, SNR, and CNR of the CBD were significantly higher for conventional NT-MRCP than with rapid NT-MRCP images (0.95 ± 0.02 vs. 0.93 ± 0.03, p < 0.001; 10.36 ± 4.63 vs. 8.90 ± 4.71, p = 0.011; 14.01 ± 6.02 vs. 12.22 ± 6.36, p = 0.020, respectively). The rapid MRCP depicted the overall image quality, artifacts, CBD visibility, right and left hepatic duct, segment 2 branch, main pancreatic duct, and cystic duct significantly better compared with conventional MRCP (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the two methods regarding visibility of anterior, posterior, and segment 3 branches (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the proposed rapid MRCP protocol yielded significantly higher overall image quality and better visualization of the pancreaticobiliary tree with a significantly reduced imaging time without deterioration of image quality compared with the conventional MRCP at 3T.

Clinical Evaluation of Respiratory-triggered 3D MRCP with Navigator Echoes Compared to Breath-hold Acquisition Using Compressed Sensing and/or Parallel Imaging

Purpose:

To compare the image quality of three-dimensional magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) acquired with respiratory triggering against breath-hold 3D MRCP with compressed sensing (CS) and parallel imaging (PI) in a clinical setting.

Methods:

This study included 93 patients (45 men, mean age: 69.7 ± 9.3 years), in whom three types of 3D MRCP were performed: 3D breath-hold MRCP with CS and PI reconstruction (BH-CS-MRCP) and PI only reconstruction (BH-PI-MRCP) additionally to 3D respiratory triggered MRCP with navigator echoes (Nav-MRCP). Duct visualization and overall image quality were blindly evaluated on a four-point scale by two independent radiologists. Quantitative analysis was performed by calculating the relative duct-to-periductal contrast (RC) of three main biliary segments. Comparison between the methods was performed using paired t-test.

Results:

Acquisition time was 23 s for both breath-hold MRCP protocols and 1 min 29 s for Nav-MRCP. Mean grading (Nav/CS/PI) for common bile duct (2.74/2.87/2.94), common hepatic duct (2.82/2.92/3.00), central right hepatic duct (2.75/2.85/2.98), central left hepatic duct (2.75/2.85/2.92) and cystic duct (2.22/2.34/2.42) was higher in BH-CS- and BH-PI-MRCP, whereas Nav-MRCP showed higher grading in the peripheral segments (peripheral right hepatic duct: 2.24/2.01/2.12; peripheral left hepatic duct: 2.23/2.02/2.13). Overall image quality of Nav-MRCP (2.91 ± 0.7) was not different from BH-PI-MRCP (2.92 ± 0.6) (P = 0.163), but higher than BH-CS-MRCP (2.80 ± 0.7) (P = 0.031). Quantitative analysis showed lower RC values for CS- and PI-MRCP than Nav-MRCP (P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Breath-hold 3D MRCP were feasible using PI and CS. Visualization of the greater ductal system was even superior in breath-hold MRCP than in Nav-MRCP by considerably reducing acquisition time. Both breath-hold methods are suitable for revised MRI protocols notably in patients with irregular respiratory cycle.

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography: Comparison of two- and three-dimensional sequences for the assessment of pancreatic cystic lesions

The present study aimed to compare two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) for the assessment of pancreatic cystic lesions. Between February 2009 and December 2011, 35 patients that had been diagnosed with pancreatic cystic lesions, which was confirmed by surgery and pathology, underwent pre-operative 2D or 3D MRCP for pre-operative evaluation. In the present study, the quality of these 2D and 3D MRCP images, the visualization of the features of the cystic lesions, visualization of the pancreatic main duct and prediction of ductal communication with the cystic lesions were evaluated and compared using statistical software. The 3D MRCP images were determined to be of higher quality compared with the 2D MRCP images. The features of the cystic lesions were visualized better on 3D MRCP compared with 2D MRCP. The same capability for the visualization of the segment of the pancreatic main duct was exhibited by 3D and 2D MRCP. There was no significant difference between the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values of 2D and 3D MRCP, which assessed the prediction of communication between cystic lesions and the pancreatic main duct. It was concluded that, compared with 2D MRCP, 3D MRCP provides an improved assessment of pancreatic cystic lesions, but does not exhibit an improved capability for the visualization of the pancreatic main duct or for the prediction of communication between cystic lesions and the pancreatic main duct.

State-of-the-art cross-sectional liver imaging: beyond lesion detection and characterization

Cross-sectional imaging with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is routinely used to detect and diagnose liver lesions; however, these examinations can provide additional important information. The improvement of equipment and techniques has allowed outstanding evaluation of the vascular and biliary anatomy, which is practicable in most routine examinations. Anatomical variants may exclude patients from certain therapeutic options and may be the cause of morbidity or mortality after surgery or interventional procedures. Diffuse liver disease, such as steatosis, hemochromatosis, or fibrosis, must be diagnosed and quantified. Usually these conditions are silent until the late stages, and imaging plays an important role in detecting them early. Additionally, a background of diffuse disease may interfere in a focal lesion systematic reasoning. The diagnostic probability of a particular nodule varies according to the background liver disease. Nowadays, most diffuse liver diseases can be easily and accurately quantified by imaging, which has allowed better understanding of these diseases and improved patient management. Finally, cross-sectional imaging can calculate total and partial liver volumes and estimate the future liver remnant after hepatectomy. This information helps to select patients for portal vein embolization and reduces postoperative complications. Use of a specific hepatic contrast agent on magnetic resonance imaging, in addition to improving detection and characterization of focal lesions, provides functional global and segmental information about the liver parenchyma.

Comparison of different magnetic resonance cholangiography techniques in living liver donors including Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced T1-weighted sequences

Objectives

Preoperative evaluation of potential living liver donors (PLLDs) includes the assessment of the biliary anatomy to avoid postoperative complications. Aim of this study was to compare T2-weighted (T2w) and Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced T1-weighted (T1w) magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) techniques in the evaluation of PLLDs.

Materials and Methods

30 PLLDs underwent MRC on a 1.5 T Magnetom Avanto (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) using (A) 2D T2w HASTE (Half Fourier Acquisition Single Shot Turbo Spin Echo) fat saturated (fs) in axial plane, (B) 2D T2w HASTE fs thick slices in coronal plane, (C) free breathing 3D T2w TSE (turbo spin echo) RESTORE (high-resolution navigator corrected) plus (D) maximum intensity projections (MIPs), (E) T2w SPACE (sampling perfection with application optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolutions) plus (F) MIPs and (G) T2w TSE BLADE as well as Gd-EOB-DTPA T1w images without (G) and with (H) inversion recovery. Contrast enhanced CT cholangiography served as reference imaging modality. Two independent reviewers evaluated the biliary tract anatomy on a 5-point scale subjectively and objectively. Data sets were compared using a Mann-Whitney-U-test. Kappa values were also calculated.

Results

Source images and maximum intensity projections of 3D T2w TSE sequences (RESTORE and SPACE) proved to be best for subjective and objective evaluation directly followed by 2D HASTE sequences. Interobserver variabilities were good to excellent (k = 0.622–0.804).

Conclusions

3D T2w sequences are essential for preoperative biliary tract evaluation in potential living liver donors. Furthermore, our results underline the value of different MRCP sequence types for the evaluation of the biliary anatomy in PLLDs including Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced T1w MRC.

Magnetic resonance evaluations of biliary malignancy and condition at high-risk for biliary malignancy: Current status

Tumors of the biliary tree are relatively rare; but their incidence is rising worldwide. There are several known risk factors for bile duct cancers, and these are seem to be associated with chronic inflammation of the biliary epithelium. Herein, 2 risk factors have been discussed, primary sclerosing cholangitis and reflux of pancreatic juice into the bile duct, as seen in such as an abnormal union of the pancreatic-biliary junction because magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used widely and effectively in the diagnosis of these diseases. When biliary disease is suspected, MRI can often help differentiate between benignity and malignancy, stage tumors, select surgical candidates and guide surgical planning. MRI has many advantages over other modalities. Therefore, MRI is a reliable noninvasive imaging tool for diagnosis and pre-surgical evaluation of bile duct tumors. Nowadays remarkable technical advances in magnetic resonance technology have expanded the clinical applications of MRI in case of biliary diseases. In this article, it is also discussed how recent developments in MRI contributes to the diagnosis of the bile duct cancer and the evaluation of patients with risk factors affecting bile duct cancer.

Diagnosis and cure experience of hepatolithiasis-associated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in 66 patients

BACKGROUND

The management of hepatolithiasis combined with intrahepatic cholangicarcinoma (IHHCC) remains a challenge due to poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to summarize our diagnosis and cure experience of IHHCC over the recent 10 years.

METHODS

From January 1996 to January 2006, 66 patients with IHHCC were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTS

Of the 66 patients, 52 underwent surgical resection (radical resection in 38 and palliative in 14) and 8 patients abdominal exploration, while the other 6 cases received endoscopic retrograde biliary internal drainage and stent implantation. In this series, correct diagnosis of advanced stage was made during operation in 8 cases (8/60, 13.3%) and all of them (underwent unnecessary abdominal exploration, among them the positive rate of CA19-9 was 100%, and the positive rate of CEA was 87.6% (7/8), incidence rate of ascites was 100% and short-term significant weight loss was 100%, with median overall survival of only 4 months.

CONCLUSION

Radical resection is mandatory for IHHCC patient to achieve long-term survival, the CT and MR imaging features of IHHCC being concentric enhancement. Patients with IHHCC have significant higher CA199 and significant higher CEA and short-term significant weight loss and ascites should be considered with advanced stage of IHHCC and unnecessary non-therapeutic laparotomies should be avoided.

Three-dimensional imaging for hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases: Emphasis on clinical utility

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging allows disease processes and anatomy to be better understood, both by radiologists as well as physicians and surgeons. 3D imaging can be performed with USG, CT scan and MRI, using different modes or rendering that include surface-shaded display, volume-based rendering, multiplanar imaging, etc. All these techniques are used variably depending on the indications.

Magnetic resonance imaging of biliary tumors

This article presents current magnetic resonance imaging techniques for the diagnosis of biliary tumors. It emphasizes the need for a comprehensive protocol, combining imaging sequences of the liver parenchyma and soft tissues with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and magnetic resonance angiography to detect and stage biliary malignancies. Imaging characteristics that may indicate a specific diagnosis are discussed. The potential role of diffusion-weighted imaging in diagnosing the cause of biliary obstruction and detecting unsuspected nodal disease and peritoneal seeding is emphasized and illustrated.

New staging system and a registry for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma

Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is one of the most challenging diseases with poor overall survival. The major problem for anyone trying to convincingly compare studies among centers or over time is the lack of a reliable staging system. The most commonly used system is the Bismuth-Corlette classification of bile duct involvement, which, however, does not include crucial information such as vascular encasement and distant metastases. Other systems are rarely used because they do not provide several key pieces of information guiding therapy. Therefore, we have designed a new system reporting the size of the tumor, the extent of the disease in the biliary system, the involvement of the hepatic artery and portal vein, the involvement of lymph nodes, distant metastases, and the volume of the putative remnant liver after resection. The aim of this system is the standardization of the reporting of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma so that relevant information regarding resectability, indications for liver transplantation, and prognosis can be provided. With this tool, we have created a new registry enabling every center to prospectively enter data on their patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma (www.cholangioca.org). The availability of such standardized and multicenter data will enable us to identify the critical criteria guiding therapy.

Comparison of three-dimensional negative-contrast CT cholangiopancreatography with three-dimensional MR cholangiopancreatography for the diagnosis of obstructive biliary diseases

PURPOSE

The purpose of our study was to compare three-dimensional (3D) negative-contrast CT cholangiopancreatography (3D-nCTCP) with 3D MR cholangiopancreatography (3D-MRCP) for the diagnosis of obstructive biliary diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

3D-nCTCP and 3D-MRCP were performed on seventy clinically documented obstructive biliary diseases patients. The accuracy of each technique in determining the location and cause of biliary obstruction was evaluated compared with the final clinical diagnoses.

RESULTS

Both methods achieved 100% of accuracy in the diagnosis of the presence and location of biliary obstruction, and had a similar sensitivity, specificity, accuracy in differentiating benign from malignant biliary obstruction or calculous from noncalculous biliary obstruction (p>0.05). At 3D-nCTCP, six patients with stones were misinterpreted as cholangitis (N=2), papillitis (N=3), or bile duct adenocarcinoma (N=1); two metastases were mistaken as acute pancreatitis or pancreatic head carcinomas, and one intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma was misled as bile duct adenoma. At 3D-MRCP, one small stone, one ampullary adenoma, and one intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma were mistaken as cholangitis, ampullary stone, and intrahepatic bile duct stone, respectively, and three gallbladder carcinomas and another intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma were misdiagnosed as hilar cholangiocarcinoma (N=3) or common hepatic duct stone (N=1); four metastases were mistaken as pancreatic head carcinomas (N=3) or distal cholangiocarcinoma (N=1). The overall accuracy in making specific diagnosis of the cause of biliary obstruction was 87.1% for 3D-nCTCP and 84.3% for 3D-MRCP, respectively, (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

3D-nCTCP has the similar effects as 3D-MRCP for the diagnosis of biliary obstruction and, the location and the cause of biliary obstruction. In view of selected cases contraindications for MRI, 3D-nCTCP is a potential substitute.

Gadobutrol-enhanced, three-dimensional, dynamic MR imaging with MR cholangiography for the preoperative evaluation of bile duct cancer

PURPOSE

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of 1.0-M gadobutrol-enhanced, 3-dimensional (3D), dynamic MR images with 3D-MR cholangiography (MRC) in the preoperative evaluation of bile duct cancer staging and resectability.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Our institutional review board approved this retrospective study. Sixty patients (46 male, 14 female; mean age 65.9 years; range, 45-77 years) with surgically and pathologically proven bile duct cancers, were included in this study. Two gastrointestinal radiologists evaluated the biliary MR images, including 3D-MRC and gadobutrol-enhanced, dynamic images, using a 3D-gradient echo (GRE) technique, regarding the longitudinal tumor extent, vascular involvement of the bile duct cancer, lymph node metastasis, and tumor resectability. The results were compared with the surgical and pathology findings used as the reference standards.

RESULTS

The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Az) of the 2 reviewers was 0.95 and 0.93, respectively, for evaluation of the involvement of both secondary biliary confluences and 0.85 and 0.84, respectively, for assessment of the intrapancreatic duct. For determining the tumor resectability, the overall accuracy was 0.93 and 0.88, respectively, whereas for assessment of the vascular involvement, the Az values were 0.92 for reviewer 1 and 0.70 for reviewer 2 for the portal vein evaluation, and 0.99 for reviewer 1 and 0.76 for reviewer 2 for the hepatic artery evaluation. In the assessment of lymph node metastasis, the overall accuracy was approximately 0.77 for each reviewer.

CONCLUSION

One-molar, gadobutrol-enhanced, dynamic imaging, using a 3D-GRE technique with isotropic 3D-MRC showed excellent diagnostic capability for assessing the longitudinal extent and tumor resectability of bile duct cancer, although it generally underestimated the tumor involvement of vessels and lymph nodes.

Rectal cancer: comparison of accuracy of local-regional staging with two- and three-dimensional preoperative 3-T MR imaging

PURPOSE

To compare the local-regional staging accuracy of the conventional two-dimensional (2D) T2-weighted imaging protocol and of the three-dimensional (3D) T2-weighted imaging protocol for preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in rectal cancer patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board, and a waiver of informed consent was obtained. A review was conducted of 109 preoperative 3-T MR images obtained with 2D and 3D T2-weighted imaging protocols in rectal cancer patients. Two radiologists independently assessed the radiologic findings for T and N category lesions, conspicuity of tumor margin, and image quality of 2D and 3D data. Interactive multiplanar reconstruction was performed for 3D data analysis. The linear weighted kappa values for T2-weighted imaging staging results (2D and 3D data) and histopathologic staging results were calculated and compared. Wilcoxon signed rank test was performed to compare tumoral conspicuity and overall image quality.

RESULTS

T category lesion staging accuracy values for 2D and 3D data, respectively, were 66.0% and 67.0% for reviewer 1 (P = .465) and 63.3% and 56.9% for reviewer 2 (P = .402). N category lesion staging accuracy values for 2D and 3D T2-weighted images, respectively, were 64.2% and 57.8% for reviewer 1 (P = .427) and 47.7% and 62.4% for reviewer 2 (P = .666). Tumor conspicuity was better for 2D T2-weighted imaging, but no significant difference in image quality was observed.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative MR imaging in rectal cancer patients for staging with conventional 2D and multiplanar reconstruction 3D T2-weighted imaging protocols showed no significant differences in accuracy of T and N category staging and overall image quality, as determined by degree of artifact. However, the 3D T2-weighted imaging protocol had limitations in regard to lesion conspicuity.

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography versus endoscopic ultrasonography in the diagnosis of extrahepatic biliary pathology

PURPOSE

This study compared the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in evaluating the cause of extrahepatic bile duct dilatation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-five patients (26 men, mean age 57 years) with extrahepatic biliary dilatation, as shown by transabdominal ultrasound, with or without elevated biliary and pancreatic serum indices, were prospectively studied with MRCP and EUS between September 2007 and October 2008. EUS and MRCP were performed within no more than 24 h of each other to reduce the possibility of changes due to stone migration. Image analysis was carried out in a double-blind fashion.

RESULTS

MRCP had 88.9% diagnostic accuracy, 91.9% sensitivity and 75% specificity, with 94.4% positive predictive value and 66.7% negative predictive value. EUS had 93.3% diagnostic accuracy, 97.3% sensitivity and 75% specificity; the positive and negative predictive values were 94.7% and 85.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

MRCP and EUS do not show significant statistical differences in diagnostic accuracy. MRCP is an accurate, noninvasive modality in the study of extrahepatic biliary pathology. EUS is especially reliable in patients with extrahepatic biliary obstruction caused by endoluminal sludge.

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma: role of preoperative imaging with sonography, MDCT, MRI, and direct cholangiography

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this article is to describe the roles of sonography, MDCT, MRI, and direct cholangiography in the evaluation of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

CONCLUSION

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma is a primary malignant tumor typically located at the confluence of the right and left ducts within the porta hepatis. Staging of hilar cholangiocarcinoma with various imaging techniques is crucial for management, and a comprehensive approach is needed for accurate preoperative assessment.