MR colonography

Abstract

The technique of Magnetic Resonance Colonography (MRC) was first described in the late 1990s and is a form of virtual colonoscopy, enabling evaluation of the colon in a noninvasive manner. It is now studied predominantly in specialist centers, many of which are in Europe. Its major advantages include avoidance of exposure to ionizing radiation, and excellent soft tissue contrast, as well as the relative safety of gadolinium chelate intravenous contrast agents, should they be used. When MRC is performed routinely in an institution, the documented time to perform the examination is 20-23 min (Achiam et al. 2007).