MR Imaging for Acute Lower Abdominal and Pelvic Pain

Acute lower abdominal and pelvic pain is a frequent complaint of patients in the emergency room. Usually, the condition of these patients is assessed with computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography (US). However, the need to reduce radiation doses of as much as 20 mSv at CT, especially in younger patients and possibly pregnant patients, and the operator dependence of US have led to an increased use of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to assess those patients. MR imaging shows high accuracy in these patients and can be used to establish an accurate diagnosis quickly and reliably. A short imaging protocol of about 10 minutes, without the use of an intravenous contrast agent in most cases, allows investigation of these patients. The basic imaging protocol that localizes the diseased anatomic region needs to be complemented by focused anatomic imaging of the diseased area. Although MR imaging might not be the modality of choice for all patients, it may be beneficial for a subset of patients for whom CT is not warranted (pregnant patients or young patients) and US findings are inconclusive. In patients with acute abdominal and pelvic pain, the range of diseases and disorders that can be diagnosed with MR imaging is extremely broad. Therefore, MR imaging should be considered as an excellent imaging modality for the evaluation of these patients. (C) RSNA, 2009 . radiographics.rsna.org