Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Gastrointestinal Tract

Abstract

The early focus in body MR imaging was on imaging solid visceral organs, such as the liver and kidney. MRI of the extrahepatic abdomen, including the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, posed significant challenges related to motion artifacts and long exam times. However, new advances in MR imaging hardware and software have overcome all of these challenges, so that MR imaging of the GI tract has evolved to become a powerful and robust imaging technique. The improved efficiency of new MR scanners and software allows one to image the abdomen and pelvis rapidly using breath-hold sequences. The excellent contrast conspicuity of MR imaging when combined with gadolinium chelates and intraluminal contrast material facilitates depiction of mural diseases of the stomach, small intestine, and colon ( Fig.