Imaging of the murine biliopancreatic tract at 7 tesla: Technique and results in a model of primary sclerosing cholangitis

Purpose To assess the feasibility of a 7 Tesla (T) MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) protocol to image the morphology and detect and intraindividually monitor pathological changes of the biliopancreatic tract in a mouse model of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Materials and Methods Six female Mdr2(Abcb)−/− mice, a well-established model of PSC, were imaged five times during weeks 10–19. Three wild-type controls were imaged at age 15 weeks. MRCP acquisition with three-dimensional fast recovery fast spin echo sequences (3D-FRFSE) was performed using three sequences with different resolutions, repetition times (TR), and with/without respiration-gating in a 7T preclinical MRI system. Image quality and visualization of five biliopancreatic structures were evaluated by three independent readers. Results Image quality was rated diagnostically sufficient in 86% of the datasets acquired without gating and in 100% for the respiration-gated sequences. Intrahepatic ducts were well visualized (≥97%) in Mdr2−/− mice. Stenoses and dilatations of the biliary ducts were intraindividually monitored. Progression and regression of bile duct pathologies were sufficiently assessed during the observation time. Conclusion High-quality respiration-gated MRCP of the Mdr2−/− PSC model at 7T allows for in vivo imaging of murine biliopancreatic tract and monitoring of bile duct pathologies, permitting longitudinal intraindividual studies in murine models of inflammatory bile duct diseases. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;40:1355–1364. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.