Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Abdomen, Gastrointestinal tract, MR, Diagnostic procedure, Education and training
Authors:
I. Požar, K. Vidmar Kocijancic; Ljubljana/SI
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2018/C-2741
Background
Acute appendicitis is frequently seen in the emergency department and in most cases,
surgical treatment is needed.
To prevent unnecessary complications and delays in diagnosis,
a fast and efficient imaging must be performed,
with US and in addition CT being the first line modalities.
However,
in the latest years,
MRI is proving to be an equal or even better tool in the diagnosis of appendicitis.
Over the last decades,
MRI machines have been improved to maximize their efficiency,
safety,
speed,
imaging quality and overall performance.
Technological improvements have made ultrafast sequences possible,
which in turn have led to a shorter examination time and fewer motion artifacts.
A large meta-analysis published in 2016 revealed excellent results of MRI in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis,
with a sensitivity and specificity of 96% (Duke et al.
2016).