Diffusion-weighted imaging of biliopancreatic disorders: Correlation with conventional magnetic resonance imaging

Figure 4 Parenchymal changes in acute cholangitis in a 76-year-old man. A: Axial fat-saturated T1-weighted image shows a hyperintense stone (arrowhead) with upstream bile duct dilation; B: Axial T2-weighted rapid acquisition relaxation enhancement image shows mild bile duct dilatation in the right lobe of the liver, but no definite area of increased parenchymal signal intensity; C: DWI at b = 50 s/mm² shows wedge-shaped areas of increased parenchymal signal intensity in segment 6 (arrows). Parenchymal changes are more conspicuous on black-blood images than on routine T2-weighted images; D: DWI at b = 800 s/mm² shows that most areas of increased parenchymal signal intensity usually return to isointensity (arrows). Such a finding can be a clue for differentiating parenchymal changes due to cholangitis from abscesses. DWI: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.