The use of MRCP in the detection of pancreatic injuries after blunt trauma

From January 2000 to November 2001, five consecutive, hemodynamically stable trauma patients (age range 8-69 years, mean age 34 years) with parenchymal injuries were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). One patient also underwent a MRCP-facilitated secretin test. MRI depicted pancreatic laceration in two patients, ductal disruption and a post-traumatic intraparenchymal pseudocyst in one, migrating pancreatic fluid collection in the mediastinal space with disruption in another, and main pancreatic duct rupture and dilatation in the patient evaluated with MRCP following secretin administration. MRI with MRCP is an effective noninvasive test for detecting and managing pancreatic injuries after blunt trauma. Secretin administration improves ductal visualization, particularly of nondilated ducts. Finally, MRI was useful in the follow-up studies of parenchymal damage and minor ductal injuries, providing high-quality images of the pancreatic duct and biliary tract.