MAGNETIC-RESONANCE CHOLANGIOPANCREATOGRAPHY (MRCP) - A PERSPECTIVE ONPOTENTIAL CLINICAL-APPLICATIONS

The recent development of MRCP allowed the recognition of the potentia l role of Magnetic Resonance (MR) in pancreatobiliary imaging, The inc reasing interest on MRCP relies on its non invasiveness (there is no n eed for contrast media administration) and on the projectional display of the biliary and pancreatic ducts in a way similar to endoscopic re trograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC). In addition, it offers the opportunity for dyna mic analysis of biliopancreatic ducts which is useful in the assessmen t of subtle ductal alterations. The future of this attractive techniqu e will depend on the demonstration of its diagnostic accuracy and on i ts availability. This article discusses the potential role of MRCP in the evaluation of biliary tract and pancreatic duct diseases.