An-Najah Staff

Conventional colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for the detection of colonic pathologies including bowel wall inflammation as well as tumor disease (1). However, several issues may limit patients’ acceptance, such as procedure-related pain and risk of perforation. Furthermore, the entire colon cannot be assessed in a relevant number of cases because of non-passable (post) inflammatory or tumorous strictures, elongated colonic segments or patients’ discomfort. MRI of the colon (MRC) has the potential to overcome these limitations. The technique is based on the rectal administration of liquid or gaseous media for bowel distension and the acquisition of fast MR sequences. Found to be highly accurate regarding the detection of colonic diseases (2), MRC provides excellent patients’ acceptance due to the non-invasive character. Furthermore, all colonic segments can be displayed even in the presence of high-grade stenoses. Aim of this study was to assess whether relevant pathologies, which potentially influence therapeutic concepts, may be detected by means of MRC in patients with incomplete endoscopy.