Reduction of peristaltic artifacts on magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen: a comparative evaluation of three drugs

Background: Peristaltic motion is an omnipresent source of degradation in abdominal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging by blurring images and producing ghost artifacts that can mask or mimic lesions. The objective of this study was to select an effective and easy-to-administer drug to provide consistent reduction of peristaltic motion artifacts on MR images. Methods: One hundred forty-eight adult patients with MR examinations of the abdomen were enrolled in a prospective, single-blind comparative study. Four groups were defined: (a) no-drug control group (n = 35), (b) 1 mg of intravenous (IV) glucagon (n = 19), (c) 20 mg of IV butylscopolamine (n = 28), and (d) 20 mg of oral dicyclomine (n = 66). All patients received high-density barium sulphate as a negative oral contrast medium. Quantitative image analysis was performed with operator-defined region-of-interest measurements of signal intensity. Gastrointestinal noise was measured outside the patient at the posterior part of the left hemiabdomen along the phase-encoding direction on a short inversion time inversion recovery (STIR) sequence. Results: Treatment groups showed reduced gastrointestinal noise (p < 0.01). When compared with the control group, IV butylscopolamine (p < 0.05) and oral dicyclomine (p < 0.05) significantly reduced gastrointestinal noise, whereas glucagon did not. Conclusion: Anticholinergic drugs significantly reduced the intensity of ghost artifacts on MR imaging of the abdomen. Twenty milligrams of oral dicyclomine is an effective and safe alternative to more expensive and parenterally administered drugs such as glucagon and butylscopolamine. Received: 22 November 1994/Accepted after revision: 14 March 1995