Acute cholecystitis at T2-weighted and manganese-enhanced T1-weighted MR cholangiography: preliminary study.

Twelve patients with symptoms of acute cholecystitis underwent heavily T2-weighted and mangafodipir trisodium-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) cholangiography and cholescintigraphy before they underwent cholecystectomy. On T2-weighted MR cholangiographic images, morphologic evidence of outflow obstruction of the gallbladder was definitive in seven patients, equivocal in one, and absent in four. In all 12 patients, biliary dynamics depicted at manganese-enhanced T1-weighted MR cholangiography agreed completely with those depicted at hepatobiliary scintigraphy. T2-weighted MR cholangiography combined with manganese-enhanced T1-weighted MR cholangiography provides not only morphologic information but also functional information about the biliary system.