Gastrointestinal System Disorders Q 247

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Which of the following tests can be useful as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in the biliary system?

  

    A. Ultrasonography

    B. MRI

    C. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)

    D. Computed tomography scan (CT scan)

    

    

Correct Answer: C. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)

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ERCP permits direct visualization of the pancreatic and common bile ducts. Its therapeutic value is in retrieving gallstones from the distal and common bile ducts and dilating strictures. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a combined endoscopic and fluoroscopic procedure in which an endoscope is advanced into the second part of the duodenum, thus allowing other tools to be passed into the biliary and pancreatic ducts via the major duodenal papilla.

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Option A: Ultrasonography aids in the diagnosis of cholecystitis, gallstones, pancreatitis, and metastatic disease. It also identifies edema, inflammation, and fatty or fibrotic infiltrates or calcifications. A procedure that uses high-energy sound waves to look at tissues and organs inside the body. The sound waves make echoes that form pictures of the tissues and organs on a computer screen (sonogram). Ultrasonography may be used to help diagnose diseases, such as cancer.

Option B: MRI detects hepatic neoplasms, cysts, abscesses, and hematomas. Magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) uses a large magnet and radio waves to look at organs and structures inside the body. Health care professionals use MRI scans to diagnose a variety of conditions, from torn ligaments to tumors. MRIs are very useful for examining the brain and spinal cord.

Option D: A CT Scan can be done without a contrast medium. It can detect tumors, cysts, pseudocysts, abscesses, hematomas, and obstructions of the liver, biliary tract and pancreas. The CT scan is essentially an X-ray study, where a series of rays are rotated around a specified body part, and computer-generated cross-sectional images are produced. The advantage of these tomographic images compared to conventional X-rays is that they contain detailed information of a specified area in cross-section, eliminating the superimposition of images, which provides a tremendous advantage over plain films.

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