Abdominal MDCT: liver, pancreas, and biliary tract

Multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) enables rapid thin-section acquisition of regional body anatomy. MDCT is adapted to hepatic and pancreatic imaging to produce, in appropriate clinical circumstances, a multipass multiplanar study obtained during defined circulatory phases to best outline vasculature and detect and characterize focal parenchymal lesions. In this chapter, a rational approach to hepatic and pancreatic MDCT acquisition is outlined with emphasis on circulatory phases and contrast material pharmacokinetics as well as biological characteristics of focal parenchymal lesions.