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Acute Hepatobiliary Imaging

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MDCT and MR Imaging of Acute Abdomen

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Abstract

Abdominal pain is a common chief complaint in the emergency department, and computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound are useful first-line imaging modalities in the appropriate clinical setting. Both are rapid, low cost, and easily accessible. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is increasingly used in equivocal situations, especially for imaging the biliary system and pancreas, in the setting of pregnancy, and in young or relatively young patients with chronic diseases which will require multiple imaging examinations, with the associated exposure of ionizing radiation if repetitive CT is performed. MR has proved particularly useful in the setting of Crohn disease, complications of pancreatitis, suspected appendicitis in pregnant patients, complications from pancreatic injury, choledocholithiasis, and biliary obstruction of indeterminate etiology. Acute abdominal pain related to liver, gallbladder, and biliary etiologies may present as acute infections with hepatitis or cholecystitis, acute obstruction with choledocholithiasis or malignancy, hemoperitoneum from a ruptured liver mass, or trauma/iatrogenic injury.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Marina C. Bernal Fernandez M.D., Jorge A. Soto M.D. & Christina A. LeBedis M.D.

Authors
  1. Marina C. Bernal Fernandez M.D.
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  2. Jorge A. Soto M.D.
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  3. Christina A. LeBedis M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jorge A. Soto M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hamilton General Hospital, Department of Radiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Michael Patlas

  2. Department of Radiology, Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola, New York, USA

    Douglas S. Katz

  3. Department of Imaging, Pineta Grande Medical Center, Castel Volturno, Caserta, Italy

    Mariano Scaglione

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Bernal Fernandez, M.C., Soto, J.A., LeBedis, C.A. (2018). Acute Hepatobiliary Imaging. In: Patlas, M., Katz, D., Scaglione, M. (eds) MDCT and MR Imaging of Acute Abdomen. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70778-5_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70778-5_4

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70778-5

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