Bowel Wall Visualization Using MR Enterography in Relationship to Bowel Lumen Contents and Patient Demographics

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Gastroenterology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• MR enterography (MRE) is a key imaging technique for evaluating the small bowel.
• Standard MRE protocols typically do not include bowel preparation.
• The impact of bowel contents on MRE visualization quality is not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the relationship between bowel lumen contents and MRE bowel wall visualization quality.
• To investigate the influence of patient demographics on MRE visualization.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 104 MRE exams performed at a single center.
• Assessment of bowel lumen signal (water, T1-bright, air) and distension/enhancement scores.
• Evaluation of visualization quality using T2-weighted and fat-saturated T1-weighted sequences with gadolinium contrast.

Main Results:

• Water was the predominant content in the small bowel (92-98%), but rare in the colon (12.5%).
• Adequate visualization was achieved in 54-90% of the small bowel segments but only 19% of the colon.
• In children, air in the colon significantly reduced ileal visualization compared to water or T1-bright content.

Conclusions:

• MRE without bowel preparation frequently results in unsatisfactory colon visualization.
• Air-filled colon segments can impair small bowel visualization, particularly in pediatric MRE studies.