Crohn's disease: MR Enterography

MRI has been increasingly utilized to image the small bowel in patients with suspected or known Crohn's disease in the last decade (Laghi et al. 2001; Cronin and Lohan 2009; McKenna et al. 2006; Cronin et al. 2010a; Leyendecker et al. 2009; Sinha et al. 2009; Horsthuis et al. 2008; Fidler et al. 2009). MR is an excellent modality to image the small bowel because of the ability to obtain multiplanar images with excellent soft tissue contrast without the use of radiation. The problems previously caused by bowel peristalsis have been overcome by the development of faster MR imaging sequences. There are two main techniques. MR enterography, or MR small bowel follow-through (MRSBFT), is MR imaging of the small bowel following oral administration of an agent to distend the small bowel. MR enteroclysis, or MRE, involves nasojejunal intubation to administer the agent to achieve small bowel distension.