[Usefulness of MR cholangiography with flex coil]

Fast SE MR cholangiography was performed in 10 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with biliary disease, using body, shoulder and flex coils. Surface coils provided better images than the body coil. Although high SNR images were obtained near surface coils, signal intensity decreased in areas distant from the shoulder coil. The flex coil greatly improved image quality, especially in intrahepatic bile ducts, compared with the shoulder coil. The application of a flex coil to MR cholangiography is a highly useful method to evaluate the biliary system.