Abstract

Combining the advantages of lack of ionizing radiation with excellent soft tissue contrast, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the gastrointestinal tract has become a clinically accepted tool. Tumor and infectious disease as well as bowel inflammation can be easily visualized on MR images. This article describes current techniques of gastrointestinal MRI, points out particularities of bowel MRI at 3T, explains how to accurately analyze gastrointestinal MR scans and gives an overview of its clinical outcome.

Keywords: MRI, Small bowel, Colon, Colorectal cancer, Inflammatory bowel disease