Role of Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography in Biliary Disorders

Abstract

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography or MRCP is a technique that uses a powerful magnetic field to evaluate the disorders of liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas and pancreatic duct. This technique was introduced in 1991 & has evolved rapidly over last two decades as it is non-invasive, does not require anaesthesia or contrast enhancing material and is less operator dependent. Although at present endoscopic cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the gold standard in evaluating the pancreaticobiliary disorders but is invasive, operator dependent and results in complications such as cholangitis, pancreatitis, haemorrhage and perforation of duodenum which have limited its routine use and has made MRCP as a routine investigation in evaluating biliary tree disorders. Furthermore MRCP is superior to ERCP in diagnosing the biliary disorders in the settings where biliary anatomy is distorted due to previous pancreatic biliary surgeries. MRCP is a technique that uses heavily weighted T2 sequences which highly enhances static or slowly flowing bile against non-enhancing surrounding soft tissue which makes the evaluation of biliary tree more accurate and easy.