Objective: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in addition to the non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (NCECT), with MRCP alone, or NCECT alone for common bile duct (CBD) stone detection using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) as a gold standard.

Materials and Methods: The medical records and image findings were retrospectively reviewed in all consecutive patients that underwent both MRCP and NCECT at Phramongkutklao Hospital between May 2012 and December 2015. The imaging data were reviewed using the consensus of two radiologists who were blind of the final diagnoses from ERCP. The accuracy of each modality in detecting CBD stone was reported as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). The other associated findings were reported as the presence of gallstones aerobilia, pancreatic calcification, biliary stenting, intrahepatic duct (IHD) dilatation, and CBD dilatation using intermodality agreement and kappa statistics.

Results: Two hundred forty-one patients underwent both MRCP and NCECT. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the combined modalities were 98%, 99%, 95%, 98%, and 95%, respectively, which was higher than MRCP alone but it did not reach a statistical significance (accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of MRCP were 97%, 98%, 95%, 99%, and 91%, p=0.77 for accuracy). The other abnormalities found such as aerobilia, presence of gallstone, presence of IHD, and CBD dilatation were similar in both combined MRCP and NCECT as compared with MRCP alone.

Conclusion: The accuracy of MRCP alone was good and acceptable for the detection of CBD stone. Adding NCECT to the routine MRCP did not result in a significantly higher accuracy. Thus, routinely adding the NCECT was no longer recommended to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure and increasing the cost of investigation.

Keywords: Common bile duct stone, MRCP, NCECT, ERCP, Accuracy

DOI: doi.org/10.35755/jmedassocthai.2020.09.11171

Received 13 March 2020 | Revised 20 May 2020 | Accepted 21 May 2020