Cholecystitis: detection with MR imaging.

The role of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the detection of gallbladder disease was evaluated in 39 individuals (16 healthy, five with asymptomatic gallstones, and 18 with clinical symptoms of gallbladder disease). MR imaging was performed after they fasted for 12 hours. Imaging sequences included a combination of repetition times (TR) of 0.5 and 1.5 sec and echo times (TE) of 28 and 56 msec. On the images obtained at TR = 0.5 sec and TE = 56 msec, gallbladder bile was hyperintense compared with the liver in all healthy and asymptomatic subjects and was hypointense (n = 9), isointense (n = 4), or hyperintense (n = 5) in symptomatic patients, eight of whom had surgical confirmation of cholecystitis. Comparison of normal versus pathologically proved cases for the presence of gallbladder disease yielded a specificity of 100%, sensitivity of 75%, and a significant difference of P less than .01. Thus, with a pulse sequence of TR = 0.5 sec and TE = 56 msec, MR was sensitive in detecting gallbladder disease. However, the role of MR in the radiologic workup of gallbladder disease will be determined by more experience with this modality.