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MRI of the Esophagus and Stomach

  • Chapter
MRI of the Gastrointestinal Tract

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

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Key Points

Advances in MRI technology in recent years with the development of surface coils and faster sequence acquisition times now makes it possible to acquire images at high spatial resolution (small voxel size and field of view) with good signal-to-noise ratio. Different techniques are available for imaging the upper GI tract using either an external surface coil or a modified endoscope with a receiver coil mounted on the tip of the scope. The improved spatial resolution enables visualization of the individual layers of the esophageal and stomach wall, which is not possible when using conventional MRI techniques.

The superior soft tissue contrast of MRI enables identification of tumor separate from the individual wall layers and thus offers an additional method for the local staging of patients with esophageal and gastric cancer. There are some recognized limitations of the current staging techniques, CT, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and it is very likely that these new MRI techniques will play a greater role in the staging of patients with esophageal and gastric cancer in the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Fulham Road, London, SW3 6JJ, UK

    Angela M. Riddell

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  1. Angela M. Riddell
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, AZ, 1105, The Netherlands

    J. Stoker (Professor of Radiology) (Professor of Radiology)

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Riddell, A.M. (2010). MRI of the Esophagus and Stomach. In: Stoker, J. (eds) MRI of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Medical Radiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85532-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85532-3_5

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