Preoperative evaluation of gallbladder carcinoma: Efficacy of combined use of MR imaging, MR cholangiography, and contrast-enhanced dual-phase three-dimensional MR angiography

✍ Scribed by Jung Hoon Kim; Tae Kyoung Kim; Hyo Won Eun; Bong Soo Kim; Moon-Gyu Lee; Pyo Nyun Kim; Hyun Kwon Ha

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 585 KB
• Volume: 16
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1053-1807
• DOI: 10.1002/jmri.10212

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Purpose

To determine the efficacy of the combined use of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, MR cholangiography (MRC), and MR angiography (MRA) in the preoperative evaluation of gallbladder carcinoma.

Materials and Methods

During a 20‐month period, 41 patients with proven gallbladder carcinomas were referred for MR examination, including MR imaging, MRC, and gadolinium‐enhanced dual‐phase MRA to determine the operability of their gallbladder carcinoma. Eighteen patients who underwent surgery within six days of the MR examination were included in this study. All MR images were analyzed in order to assess bile duct invasion, vascular invasion, hepatic invasion or metastasis, lymph node metastasis, and invasion into adjacent organs.

Results

Surgical and histopathologic findings revealed hepatic invasion in nine patients, bile duct invasion in nine, vascular invasion in three, and lymph node metastasis in 10. The sensitivity and specificity of MR examination were, respectively, 100% and 89% for bile duct invasion, 100% and 87% for vascular invasion, 67% and 89% for hepatic invasion, and 56% and 89% for lymph node metastasis.

Conclusion

The “all‐in‐one” MR protocol, including MR imaging, MRC, and MRA, can be an effective diagnostic method in the preoperative work‐up for gallbladder carcinoma. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2002;16:676–684. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.