To investigate the incidence of extra-intestinal abnormalities detected on MR enterography, whether follow-up of abnormalities occurs where indicated and ultimately, whether artificial intelligence technology would be of benefit in this arena.

Magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) is the favoured imaging modality for the diagnosis, severity assessment and follow up of small bowel disease, due to its multiple advantages including lack of ionising radiation, high contrast resolution, multiplanar capability and cine-imaging availability [1, 2]. MRE also demonstrates high accuracy depiction of extra-intestinal manifestations or complications of intestinal diseases, as well as unrelated extra-intestinal pathology [3, 4]. Previous studies analysing incidental findings in MRE have concluded that extra-intestinal findings are common, clinically important and can have an impact on...

A total of 157 scans conducted over an eight month period were retrospectively analysed. 59 (37.6%) patients scanned were male and 98 (62.4%) were female.The mean age of patients scanned was 47 years. 79 (50.3%) scans detected extra-intestinal abnormalities and a total of 117 individual extra-intestinal abnormalities were reported. The most common extra-intestinal abnormalities were related to the kidney/bladder (32, 27.4%), followed by gallbladder/biliary tree (18, 15.4%) and liver (18, 15.4%). They were less frequently detected in other organs including the uterus/cervix (9, 7.7%), ovaries...

Extra-intestinal abnormalities are frequently detected on MRE, however, these findings are often unrelated to the initial indication for imaging and are not consistently followed up where indicated. A limitation of this study is its reliance on electronic hospital records for information related to follow up of abnormalities, however, this is difficult to avoid as technology becomes increasingly a part of health care. Appropriate investigation of incidental pathology, while minimising unnecessary patient morbidity due to additional inestigation of benign conditions, is an important consideration in medical...

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