Purpose or Case Report: The application of compressed SENSE MR imaging technique can help in reducing the acquisition time for magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). The present study was conducted to compare the acquisition time, diagnostic efficacy, and image quality of the newer compresses sense 3D-MRCP (CS-3D-MRCP) with conventional 3D MRCP (C-3D-MRCP) in children with pancreatitis.
Methods & Materials: A total of 24 children (2-17 years) diagnosed with pancreatitis were included in this study. Children underwent CS-3D-MRCP and C-3D-MRCP sequences. C-3DMRCP and CS-3D-MRCP images were evaluated for acquisition time duration, visualization of the pancreaticobiliary ducts, background suppression, image quality degradation by artifacts, and overall image quality by the two radiologists independently. Paired sample T-test was used to compare the acquisition time, McNemar test for the image quality features, and kappa coefficient was used for interobserver agreement
Results: A two-fold decrease in the acquisition time of CS-3D-MRCP (~148±61 s) was seen compared to C-3D-MRCP (~310±98 s), p<0.001. The median scores for overall image quality on CS-3D-MRCP and C-3D-MRCP respectively were 2.05±0.52 and 2.21±0.53 (p=0.18) for both the radiologists. No significant difference was seen for the visibility of ducts, background suppression, and artifacts between the two radiologists, with substantial to almost perfect agreement seen for the different findings.
Conclusions: Application of compressed SENSE 3D-MRCP in children with pancreatitis results in a two-fold reduction in acquisition time with acceptable image quality. This may help in reducing the need for long sedation in children requiring anesthesia support for the MRCP and potentially help in reducing motion artifacts