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MR/MRCP for Diagnosis and Staging

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Textbook of Pancreatic Cancer

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Abstract

Cross-sectional imaging, specifically multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) plays an essential role in the initial diagnosis and in the staging of pancreatic cancer. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is in many situations superior to MDCT, such as in detection of small and/or iso-attenuating pancreatic tumors and in characterization of indeterminate hepatic lesions, hence it plays an essential role in the initial diagnosis and in the staging of pancreatic cancer. Nevertheless, magnetic resonance imaging is not widely used and plays an important role as a “problem-solving tool”.

On MRI, pancreatic adenocarcinoma typically appears as an ill-defined solid mass. It is hypointense in comparison with the adjacent pancreas on fat-suppressed T1-weighted images and during the pancreatic parenchymal phase of dynamic gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed imaging. It usually remains hypo-enhancing on the portal venous phase and shows progressive enhancement on delayed sequences.

There are some entities as focal chronic pancreatitis, neuroendocrine tumors, pancreatic metastases or autoimmune pancreatitis that can mimic pancreatic adenocarcinoma at imaging.

This chapter provides an overview of the current role of MRI for ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma, its major benefits as well as potential weaknesses.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Abdominal Imaging Section, Radiology Department, Hospital Vall d’Hebron, Barcelona, Spain

    Xavier Merino-Casabiel & C. Ortiz-Andrade

Authors
  1. Xavier Merino-Casabiel
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  2. C. Ortiz-Andrade
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Correspondence to Xavier Merino-Casabiel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Stavanger University Hospital, The University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Kjetil Søreide

  2. Chirurgie (VTT), Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria

    Stefan Stättner

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Merino-Casabiel, X., Ortiz-Andrade, C. (2021). MR/MRCP for Diagnosis and Staging. In: Søreide, K., Stättner, S. (eds) Textbook of Pancreatic Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53786-9_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53786-9_27

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-53785-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-53786-9

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