[MR imaging of small bowel with water administration]

We performed MR imaging of the small bowel (MRSB) in 20 patients using water as an oral contrast agent, to improve the demonstrability of pathologic conditions without a large amount of intestinal fluid. Bowel lumen and folds were clearly visualized: duodenum in 13(65%), jejunal loops in 14 (70%), ileal loops in 15(75%), and ileocecum in 8 (40%) cases. Furthermore, conventional enteroclysis was performed in 16 of 20 patients, and the MRSB findings were comparable with those of conventional enteroclysis. If conventional enteroclysis is used as the gold standard, MRSB visualized luminal stenosis in 11 of 13(84.6%), displacement or extrinsic compression in 4 of 5(80%), polypoid lesion in 3 of 4(75%), and fistula formation in one of one cases. None of four ulcerative lesions could be visualized by MRSB. Our MRSB technique is a noninvasive, easy method that does not require a long time. Accordingly, MRSB can be used in addition to the conventional MR sequence. MRSB has potential usefulness for evaluating small-bowel disease without radiation exposure.