MRI for small bowel diseases

The role of radiologic studies has been well established in the diagnosis and management of patients with small bowel diseases. While small bowel follow-through examination or enteroclysis is widely accepted as the primary imaging method for small bowel investigation, additional cross-sectional imaging studies are often required for an accurate diagnosis and the precise evaluation of the extraluminal disease. Since fast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences have become available, there is increasing interest in the use of MRI for small bowel evaluation, attributed to its inherent advantages such as the lack of radiation exposure, excellent soft tissue contrast, and direct multiplanar capabilities. In this article, we review the current techniques, clinical applications, and limitations of MRI for the evaluation of patients with small bowel diseases.