MR Enterography: A New Experience in Iran

Magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) is playing an increasingly important role in the evaluation of small bowel disorders particularly in patients with Crohns disease (CD). Despite advances in endoscopic techniques that can help gastroenterologists directly visualize the colon, the small bowel remains relatively inaccessible. Absence of ionizing radiation, improved soft-tissue contrast, the ability to provide dynamic information about bowel distention and motility, and a relatively safe intravenous contrast agent are the main advantages of MRE. It can also provide superior diagnostic information about CD especially in differentiating active inflammatory disease from chronic fibrostenotic disease. Although a true epidemiologic profile of CD in Iran is not quite clear, its incidence is widely on the presumably due to gradual adoption of a western lifestyle in Iran. Unlike developed countries, MRE is not well-known by most Iranian radiologists. In this talk, we will aim to discuss the technical aspects of MRE and illustrate the range of imaging findings in patients suspected to have CD who referred to a university hospital in Tehran with a referral gastroenterology center.