Techniques and application of MR-pancreatography compared to endoscopic retrograde pancreatography

Using heavily T2 weighted sequences, magnetic resonance tomography allows the delineation of the pancreatic duct system with high contrast. The development of fast and ultrafast imaging sequences results in a variety of different technical approaches already published. Aim of this article is the review of the different approaches and results published. In addition, we compare MRP in 34 patients with results of ERP using a snap-shot sequence approach. In this study, MRP has a sensitivity of 83,3%, a specifity of 90,9% and a accuracy of 83,3% regarding detection of duct changes like stenosis, occlusion and duct dilatation. Our results indicate, that MR-pancreaticography can be a valuable adjunct to MR-imaging of the pancreas.