Evaluation of the biliary tree and gallbladder with hepatocellular MR contrast agents.

Newer hepatobiliary magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents allow the ability to combine the anatomical information from T2-weighted magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography with functional information derived from contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance cholangiography for off-label biliary imaging. Potential applications include determination of biliary anatomy, functional assessment of biliary obstruction, and evaluation for acute cholecystitis. Through MR protocol optimization, it is also possible to achieve this within the standard 30-minute imaging window of liver MR.