MRI Findings of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Duodenal Abnormalities And
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Pictorial Essay | Gastrointestinal Imaging http://dx.doi.org/10.3348/kjr.2015.16.6.1240 pISSN 1229-6929 · eISSN 2005-8330 Korean J Radiol 2015;16(6):1240-1252 MRI Findings of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Duodenal Abnormalities and Variations Ebru Dusunceli Atman, MD1, Ayse Erden, MD1, Evren Ustuner, MD1, Caglar Uzun, MD1, Mehmet Bektas, MD2 Departments of 1Radiology and 2Gastroenterology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara 06100, Turkey This pictorial review aims to illustrate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and presentation patterns of anatomical variations and various benign and malignant pathologies of the duodenum, including sphincter contraction, major papilla variation, prominent papilla, diverticulum, annular pancreas, duplication cysts, choledochocele, duodenal wall thickening secondary to acute pancreatitis, postbulbar stenosis, celiac disease, fistula, choledochoduodenostomy, external compression, polyps, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, ampullary carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. MRI is a useful imaging tool for demonstrating duodenal pathology and its anatomic relationships with adjacent organs, which is critical for establishing correct diagnosis and planning appropriate treatment, especially for surgery. Index terms: Duodenum; MR imaging INTRODUCTION In this pictorial review, patients who had undergone abdominal MRI for various indications were evaluated As a noninvasive imaging tool, magnetic resonance retrospectively, and those with duodenal lesions were imaging (MRI) has the capabilites of multiplanar imaging selected. The MRI patterns of the duodenal lesions were and superior soft tissue contrast, which are very important assessed and analyzed. in delineating the pathologies of the abdomen’s solid and hollow organs. Duodenal lesions are generally detected Normal Variations incidentally, although various appearances are encountered radiologically. In accordance with the recent increased and Sphincter Contraction widespread use of MRI in abdominal imaging, these often Although it is normal that the most distal part of the asymptomatic lesions are encountered more frequently common bile duct (CBD) and pancreatic duct cannot be today in patterns that some radiologists may not be familiar visualized in magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography with. (MRCP), sometimes it may be confused with real pathologies. These segments of the choledochus and the Received July 11, 2014; accepted after revision July 16, 2015. pancreatic duct are covered with muscle and belong to the Corresponding author: Ebru Dusunceli Atman, MD, Department of Vaterian sphincter complex (1). A small intrasphincteric Radiology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Sıhhiye, Ankara segment in these ducts or the existence of sphincter 06100, Turkey. • Tel: (90) 5325117808 • Fax: (90312) 3100808 contractility may cause the Vaterian sphincter complex • E-mail: [email protected] to not be visualized (1, 2), which in turn causes false This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of negative results in the diagnosis of small impacted calculus the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License and papillary tumors. Moreover, severe contraction of (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in the sphincter may cause what is called the “pseudo- any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. calculus effect”, which has a convex, semilunar shape in 1240 Copyright © 2015 The Korean Society of Radiology MRI of Duodenal Pathologies A B Fig. 1. Physiological sphincter contraction. On this MRCP image, major papilla (black arrow) appears very prominent at medial part of second section of duodenum (A). Distal choledochus is not visible (white arrow). Only after some relaxation of sphincter of Oddi did intramural segment of choledochus (arrow) become apparent (B). This image represents normal sphincter contractility. In order for morphologic changes and contractility in Vaterian sphincter complex to be evaluated optimally, they must be visualized both during contraction and during maximum relaxation. For this reason, it is necessary for patient to hold his or her breath in order to obtain serial MRCP images. MRCP = magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography the distal CBD (Fig. 1) (1). There are phasic contractions approximately 4 times per minute that last 4.3 ± 0.5 seconds and that are revealed with manometric studies in the Vaterian sphincter complex, which normally has a basal pressure (1, 2). Major Papilla Variation The major duodenal papilla is the slight mucosal bulging where the ampulla of Vater, created by the junction of the choledochus and the pancreatic duct, opens to the duodenum. The location, size and shape of the major papilla vary (3). The major papilla is in the 1/3 middle section of the descending segment of the duodenum at a rate of 75% and is located more distally in the horizontal segment at a rate of 25% (Fig. 2) (3, 4). Fig. 2. Opening of distal end of choledochus to 3rd segment On this MRCP image, small periampullary diverticulum Prominent Papilla of duodenum. is depicted (black arrow), and also in this patient, major papilla The major duodenal papilla is the oval protrusion in the variationally opens to 3rd section of duodenum (white arrow). Major medial part of the descending segment of the duodenum. papilla is in horizontal, i.e., 3rd, segment at rate of 25%. MRCP = Although the papilla has a variable diameter, it is generally magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography approximately 5–10 mm. The normal bulging of the papilla into the duodenum lumen is smaller than 1 cm (acute cholangitis, acute pancreatitis, biliary calculus, (3). Normally, the papilla is scarcely differentiated from periampullary diverticulum, infection-infestation, etc.) or the duodenal mucosal folds around it (4, 5). Although neoplastic processes (intraductal papillary mucinous tumor, hypertrophic papilla can rarely occur as a normal variant, ampullary adenoma and tumor, periampullary cancer, etc.) it may also develop in connection with inflammatory (Fig. 3) (4, 5). kjronline.org Korean J Radiol 16(6), Nov/Dec 2015 1241 Atman et al. Congenital Anomalies their size and configuration, and in this way, may lead to biliopancreatic symptoms such as jaundice, cholangitis, or Diverticula biliary calculus (9, 11). If the diverticulum lumen is full A duodenal diverticulum is the herniation of the mucosa of air or a mixture of air-liquid, it may be easily identified and the muscular layer from the intestine wall. A real with computerized tomography (CT) or MRI. However, in duodenal diverticulum is congenital and arises from luminal the event that the lumen is completely filled with liquid, recanalization anomalies during embryologic development the diverticulum may be confused with cystic tumors of the (6-10), and it includes all of the layers in the intestine pancreas or with choledochus cysts on CT or MRI (6, 9). It wall. A pseudo-diverticulum, which is more frequently is important to show the continuity in the duodenum lumen encountered, includes only the mucosa and submucosa of a diverticulum with multiplanar imaging on MRI to avoid layers and is most frequently found on the medial wall misinterpretation. Moreover, the air-liquid level is beneficial of the 2nd and 3rd segments of the duodenum (6-8, 10). for identifying diverticula in axial sections and enabling Diverticula are most frequently seen in the duodenum, after their differentiation from the cystic lesions that may be the colon in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (11). They are seen in this location (Figs. 4-6) (6, 9). seen relatively more frequently in women, and the prevalence increases with age (9). Most cases are asymptomatic and are Intraluminal Duodenal Diverticulum detected incidentally at a rate of approximately 11% during Intraluminal duodenal diverticulum (IDD) is one of the GI barium studies or during endoscopy that is performed most rarely seen congenital anomalies of the duodenum, for other reasons (9, 11). Diverticulitis may be complicated and it is thought to arise from defects in the recanalization with perforation in the retroperitoneal space (7). The area process of the primitive foregut in the early gestational in which diverticula are most frequently seen is in the 2 to 3 cm periphery of the ampulla of Vater and are called juxtapapillary or periampullary diverticula. Diverticula in this location may rarely cause functional disorders in the ampulla and compression of the CBD, depending on Fig. 3. Prominent papilla. On coronal fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition MR image, nodular structure (arrow) is detected at level of major papilla (hypertrophic papilla). Normally, papilla is scarcely distinguished from surrounding duodenal mucosal Fig. 4. Diverticulum. Diverticulum appears as fluid-filled pouch that folds, but as seen in this image, normal papillas may be seen as protrudes from lumen of 3rd section of duodenum on this magnetic oval protruding structures of 5–10 mm. MRI and magnetic resonance resonance cholangiopancreatography image (arrow). Diverticula are cholangiopancreatography are important in hypertrophic papilla frequent in duodenum, and they are most often encountered in medial diagnosis and in detecting underlying pathology. wall of 2nd and 3rd duodenal segments. 1242 Korean J Radiol 16(6), Nov/Dec 2015 kjronline.org MRI of Duodenal Pathologies period (12-15). Typically, it is seen at the 2nd section of may cause early satiety, bloating, nausea,