MR imaging of the pancreas: a practical approach

This article reviews the current practical MRI techniques in assessment of the pancreas. With the comprehensive "one-stop-shopping" approach, the great majority of pancreatic diseases can be detected and characterized by the use of a combination of T1, T2-weighted, MRCP, and fat-suppressed T1-weighted dynamic post-gadolinium SGE sequences. This approach may provide the clinician with information regarding the site, nature, and staging of pancreatic tumor in a single setting. In many institutions worldwide, however, including our own, CT remains the main imaging method for the assessment of acute pancreatic diseases, due largely to its wide availability. MR imaging is reserved for the indications listed above, most importantly, the detection of small and non-organ-deforming pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, islet cell tumors, choledocholithiasis and pancreatic duct calculi, cholangiocarcinomas, and in cases of pancreatic head enlargement with no mass discernable on CT.