Magnetic resonance imaging of biliary tumors.

This article presents current magnetic resonance imaging techniques for the diagnosis of biliary tumors. It emphasizes the need for a comprehensive protocol, combining imaging sequences of the liver parenchyma and soft tissues with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and magnetic resonance angiography to detect and stage biliary malignancies. Imaging characteristics that may indicate a specific diagnosis are discussed. The potential role of diffusion-weighted imaging in diagnosing the cause of biliary obstruction and detecting unsuspected nodal disease and peritoneal seeding is emphasized and illustrated.