ABSTRACT
Douglas R. DeCoratOy Lawrence H. Schwartz Imaging of the upper abdomen including the liver, biliary tree and pancreas has
evolved rapidly over the past ten years. Fast imaging techniques using both com puted tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) permit dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging in seconds. Similarly, ultrasonography (US), an integral part of hepatobiliary imaging for both benign and malignant disease, has seen marked advances due to improved technology. Modalities such as nuclear medicine and angiography play a more specialized role in the identification and characterization of pathology. For example, although nuclear medicine is limited in its evaluation of hepatic lesions, it is a physiologic examination that can aid in detecting disease of the gallbladder, biliary tree, and postoperative complications such as bile leaks.
