Guidelines for MR imaging in rectal cancer: Europe versus United States

The aim of this study was to compare and contrast recently published guidelines for staging and reporting of MR imaging in rectal cancer from the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology and the North American Society of Abdominal Radiology. These guidelines were assessed on the presence of consensus and disagreement. Items were compared by two reviewers, and items with agreement and disagreement between the guidelines were identified and are presented in the current paper. Differences between guidelines are discussed to offer insights in practice variations between both continents and among expert centers, which to some extent may explain the differences between guidelines.