MRCP imaging at 3.0 T vs. 1.5 T: preliminary experience in healthy volunteers

To evaluate the impact of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) imaging at 1.5T and 3.0T on image quality.

Fourteen volunteers were examined at both 1.5T and 3.0T using MRCP imaging performed with a breath-held two-dimensional (2D) half-Fourier acquired single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) thick-slab sequence, a free-breathing navigator-triggered three-dimensional (3D) turbo spin-echo (TSE) sequence with prospective acquisition correction, and a heavily T2-weighted (T2W) sequence with breath-held multislice HASTE. All images were scored for visualization of the biliary and pancreatic ducts, severity of artifacts, image noise, and overall image quality.

MRCP imaging at 3.0T yielded a significant improvement in overall image quality compared to 1.5T. We found a trend for superior visualization of the biliary and pancreatic ducts at 3.0T. Heavily T2W imaging with thin sections (1.4 mm) at 3.0T provided diagnostic images and better visualization of the biliary and pancreatic ducts than heavily T2W imaging with standard sections (2.8 mm) at 3.0T.

Our experience suggests that MRCP imaging at 3.0T has the potential to provide excellent images. High-resolution heavily T2W imaging with a small voxel size (1.3 x 1.3 x 1.4 mm) at 3.0T can provide diagnostic images and allow evaluation of small pathologies of the bile and pancreatic ducts, which 1.5T MRI cannot sufficiently visualize.