The Synergistic Role of Integrated Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography in Disorders of the Pancreatobiliary System

Abstract

Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the synergistic role and advantages of integrating noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in disorders of the pancreatobiliary (PB) system. Methods In this cross-sectional and retrospective record-based study, radiological (NCCT and MRCP) data were collected retrospectively for a period of 3 years (June 2018–August 2020) from 52 patients. The results were compared to the final diagnosis on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) findings (gold standard). The data collected were analyzed by measuring the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, diagnostic accuracy, and p-value for NCCT, MRCP, and integrated NCCT plus MRCP at different cutoff points. Subsequently, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to analyze different thresholds for NCCT, MRCP, and integrated NCCT plus MRCP. Results The most common pathologies identified were biliary dilations (18.4%), common bile duct (CBD) calculi (13.6%), and biliary strictures (12.0%). Overall, MRCP provided a higher percentage of correct diagnoses (81.6%) compared to CT (56.0%). Integrating NCCT with MRCP showed a significant increase in sensitivities and specificities when compared to NCCT or MRCP alone. Integrated NCCT plus MRCP showed excellent performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of ROC analysis of 0.937. Conclusion Our study showed that integrating NCCT and MRCP can prove to be an excellent tool in establishing a detailed diagnosis of PB disorders, better than either NCCT or MRCP alone. Due to the concurrent nature of PB disorders, it may be worth considering integrating NCCT and MRCP, given that there is an absence of contraindications to either modality.