Preparation
All of the organs above can be performed with a MRI. For the examination of the liver, pancreas and biliary tract, you need to fasten for at least 4 hours before the examination starts. This is necessary in order to present the gallbladder and biliary tract better.
What is the procedure?
You will lie down on a table that slides into the MRI-scanner, in supine position with your head first and the region of interest is always in the centre of the scanner. Coils, to receive good image quality, will be placed around your abdomen and with straps to the left and right side. During the examination you will hear, through a headphone, a voice that tells you to breath in and hold your breath for 15 to 20 seconds. It is very important, so the organs are at the same position and there is no movement of the organs. The duration of the whole examination is 30 minutes. It is possible that the radiographer injects a medicine before or during the examination, called Buscopan. Buscopan has the effect that movement in the area of the stomach, intestines and biliary tract is less, so the examination is of better quality (less so-called artefacts). Important: please inform the radiographer if you suffer from increased intraocular pressure (glaucoma). After the examination you do not need to pay attention to anything, that means you can drive a car of go back to work afterwards, unless you cannot tolerate the medication. During the examination contrast material intravenously is injected and different scans will be performed in different phases. Contrast material is necessary for this examination and very important for good diagnostics. Contrast material makes it possible to for example differentiate cysts from haemangiomas, tumours etc. When a MRI of the kidneys or the urinary tract is being performed, sometimes it is necessary to perform different scans after a time interval.