MSCT imaging of biliary tract disease

Abstract

Imaging of the gallbladder and biliary tract has changed significantly over the past two decades due to advances in noninvasive imaging, especially through rapid development of modern cross-sectional imaging methods such as ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), and recently magnetic resonance (MR) tomography. Multidimensional imaging with near isotropic voxel, fewer artifacts, and a mean acquisition time of generally less than 20 s per series, which is compatible with breath hold techniques, provides exquisite anatomic data to the referring physician, pushing multidetector CT diagnostics into the center of the cross-sectional diagnostic tools of the radiologist together with US. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.