MRI cholangiography (MRI of the gallbladder and bile ducts)

Colangio-RM (RM Vesícula y vía biliar)

This non-invasive diagnostic procedure uses an electromagnetic field and radio waves (from a transmitter and receiver) to acquire high-definition anatomical images of the bile ducts and gallbladder. It is a radiation-free procedure. It requires fasting for approximately 6 hours beforehand, as not having eaten anything will allow the bile accumulated in the gallbladder and bile duct to be better defined anatomically. The screening entails MRI cholangiography sequences, which render very thin images (1 mm) to create 2D and 3D reconstructions without a paramagnetic contrast (gadolinium). In some cases, paramagnetic contrast (gadolinium) is required to characterise the lesions. It is especially recommended for patients with suspected gallstones, patients with gallstones when there is suspicion that one of the stones has moved through the bile ducts into the intestine, patients with symptoms of bile duct obstruction, as a pre-surgical study (anatomical map of the biliary tree) before gallbladder surgery, abdominal pain of probable biliary origin, etc.