John M. Froehlich1, Muriel Daenzer1, Constantin von Weymarn1, Sukru Mehmet Erturk2, Christoph L. Zollikofer3, Michael A. Patak1
1Institute of Radiology, Inselspital, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland; 2Dept of Radiology, Sisli Etfal Hospital, Istambul, Turkey; 3Institute of Radiology, Kantonsspital, Winterthur, Switzerland
Cross-sectional imaging of the abdominal organs suffers from peristaltic movement artifacts justifying the administration of spasmolytic drugs prior to imaging. Buscopan or glucagon, are being used in the large majority of cases. In this prospective clinical MR study we characterized and compared intraindividually the pharmacological profile of the two drugs by measuring the small-bowel cross-sectional diameter over time. While paralysis was reached rapidly with both drugs, glucagon was more reliable in achieving a complete arrest and lasted roughly three times longer than Buscopan. MRI is a reliable and reproducible method to quantify and analyze small bowel motility.