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Part of the book series: Medical Radiology ((Med Radiol Diagn Imaging))

Key Points

This chapter will detail the clinical utility of MRI of the anus. The main emphasis will be on fistula-in-ano, where MRI is extensively used because it is generally accepted to be the reference standard investigation, surpassing even surgical assessment. The pathogenesis of fistula-in-ano is described, along with the different types of fistula encountered and the principles of surgical treatment. We describe how fistula-in-ano may be imaged with MR and emphasize that precise Preoperative characterization of the anatomical course of the fistula and all associated infection is critical, if surgery is to be most effective. We also detail other clinical scenarios where MRI of the anus has particular clinical utility, namely investigation of anal incontinence and anal malignancy.

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© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Halligan, S., Taylor, S.A. (2010). MRI of the Anus. In: Stoker, J. (eds) MRI of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Medical Radiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85532-3_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85532-3_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-85531-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-85532-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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