The utility of multidetector CT cholangiography in the evaluation of patients with biliar obstruction

The objective is to establish the diagnostic concordance between the multidetector CT cholangiography using minlP and MPR images in the evaluation of patients with biliary tract dilation compared with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) or surgery to define the site and cause of obstruction. Methods: prospective, descriptive and accuracy diagnostic method study. Reference population: during 24 months, we studied 34 patients with biliary tract dilation demonstrated by a preliminary multidetector CT cholangiography in the Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paul and who had at least one confirmatory procedure ERCP, PTC or surgery. Results: of 34 patients, 16 had biliary tree stones, 10 had the ERCP as a confirmatory procedure and 6 had the surgery. In 18 patients the obstructive etiology was malignancy: 11 had the surgery as a confirmatory procedure, 3 the ERCP and 4 the PTC. At the same time the accuracy was complete (100%) to define the cause and site of obstruction. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated a high diagnostic accuracy of the multidetector CT cholangiography to establish the site and cause of biliary obstruction in patients with biliary dilation and can be an alternative diagnostic method to cholangioresonance